Voulez-vous?
by banshee-hime
Summary: "Stop looking at me like that!" He finally burst. "Like what?" The girl gave him a weird look and the samurai attempted to glare her to her grave. Kanda gets into a little mishap and gets indebted to a Madam, only to discover a new exorcist and learn that his tolerance level can go through the roof. KandaxOC Rating will probably go up, irregular updates, testing out an idea
1. Chapter 1

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 1: In which Kanda gets stranded…**

He stomped down the cobblestone street angrily. Of course the stupid Supervisor had gotten him stranded while waiting for orders. He had been in France for a while. A small town was supposedly being attacked by Akuma and none of the already sent Finders were responding, so he was sent to investigate further. It turned out to be a dead-end though. Another one of letters-misplaced-on-Komui's-desk. There were no Akuma, just a band of thieves pillaging. Kanda had taken care of them fairly quickly and that is why he was now, stranded, walking down the icy streets of Paris with no bed to sleep in tonight. Stupid Supervisor. Stupid winter and irregular train departures.

He adjusted his sword and wrapped his coat tighter around his slim form. Freezing. In his mind a plan to get back at his Supervisor was already forming. It consisted of Mugen, pain, maybe threats, lots of acting on those threats and some more Mugen and pain. In his defense, it was still a work in progress. Yes, still in progress.

His boots slipped on the ice-covered cobble-stone for the thousandth time that day. He really needed to get a place to stay for the night. He tried to wriggle his fingers. They were frozen and numb. Great. Just fascinating. At this point, anywhere would do.

The sound of a door opening and closing caught his attention. Laughter followed. He looked for the source of the sound. A man had exited from a well-lit place and into the street. A woman was on his arm. From the way they were dressed, Kanda guessed they were a well-off gentleman and his company for the night. Whores. Great. It's not that Kanda had anything against them. It wasn't like that. He was mostly indifferent towards the job of a working girl. He just considered them to have no pride. They sell their body for money, while they have two perfectly good hands and legs. Pity. Yes, Kanda pitied whores more than hated them. Not that he would ever openly admit to that.

This part of the city was full of them, too. However, it was also the cheapest part of the town. And God knows Kanda needed his money so he wouldn't be stranded even longer, waiting for extra funds. He could always threaten someone for money. A dark grin crossed his face, and vanished soon as he thought about Komui's reaction to his would-be behavior. No, he didn't want a repeat of that nightmare. Once had been quite enough.

The door the pair had exited from still shined some light on the dark street. Kanda looked up searching for the sign. On a rusty pole, swinging in the wind, there was a sign. And it was in French. Great. He managed to decipher 'lit'. That should mean bed? He really hoped that meant bed. He sighed, his breath creating a white puff in the freezing air. He regretted leaving the multilingual Finder behind now.

Bravely, Kanda pushed the door open and entered. His surroundings changed in an instant. Warm, bright, yellow light enveloped him like a blanket. His ears were filled with music from the band in the corner. Laughter and smoke were together in the air. He barely heard the bell on top of the door jingle as he closed it behind him. In a split second a face appeared in his mind. A man with a silly hat on his head and a huge grin on his face. He still remembered Daisya, that tormenting brat, whenever he heard a bell jingle like his Charity Bell. Tch. He was probably screwing up a mission somewhere.

Kanda was pulled back to Earth when a hand gripped his shoulder. He turned to the woman speaking huskily and rapidly in French. He didn't catch a word except 'cher'. Wait, didn't that mean expensive? So, he answered with the best retort he had.

"What?" Kanda's deep voice cut the woman's speech off.

"Aaaaah! I see! I foreigner! Velcome to 'Les belles nuits'! 'ov may I be 'ov service?" Her accent was thick, he noticed, but not entirely unpleasant. She rolled her 'r's heavily.

"I need food and lodging for the night. Does this place have any rooms still vacant?" Kanda noted that he was being very polite. It was either his current state of frozenness or the aura that the short woman gave off. She barely came up to his chest, yet he could feel that she was a strong person. The way she held herself was very bold, defiant. Her red locks were partially up in a loose bun, but most of them fell onto her bare shoulders. The blue dress she wore was plain, yet, dare he say beautiful, on her. Accenting all the right places. All in all, she was a confident, strong and, from what he had seen, hospitable proper lady. Well, the bare shoulders weren't that proper, but this was Paris, so he let it slide.

A smile broke on the woman's red lips. It was the kind of smile that made him uncomfortable. It was one of those closed-lips-eyes-twinkling smiles. The kind that girls sent men when they had less than honorable intentions.

"Oh, cher, ve 'av beds, oui, oui! But zey might be a bit different from vat vous voulez." She winked at him. And then, her manicured hand grabbed his, and she was pulling him to the bar. The redhead called something out to the bartender and he smirked one of those all-knowing smirks and gave them both drinks.

Kanda looked at his glass in suspicion. It was most definitely alcohol. And he was probably going to regret it later. But it will help him get warm faster. His still frozen fingers grasped the glass and he bravely downed the amber liquid. It burned its way down his throat. But, it was worth it. He could already feel the warmth spreading through his chest.

A voice registered in his mind and he realized that the woman beside him was talking. He produced a 'tch' sound when she paused, and she happily chattered on.

There was darkness all around him, enveloping him like a warm blanket. Then he realized that he actually was cocooned in a blanket. He could feel the cheap fabric scratching his chest as he breathed. Chest?! Where was his shirt?! Kanda moved his legs a bit, only to realize that he was completely naked. A rush of panic went through him. He could feel that tightening feeling in his stomach, the same one he got right before a fight. It was that feeling that you get when swimming. The one you get when you try to stand on the bottom only to have your feet touch nothing, because the water is too deep. It grew fast in his stomach. Just how much had he drunk last night?

Soft feminine giggling brought him out of his train of thought. He heard a number of 'shhhh's and then he heard fast, hushed conversation in French. His first instinct was to grab Mugen and start slicing, but he suppressed it. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and Kanda had already met Lenalee.

He slowly cracked one eye open, taking in his surroundings like a trained warrior that he was. A cheap bedroom, with old paint that was peeling slowly off. Kanda could smell different perfumes and a faint smell of cigarettes and wine. Then he saw all of them.

There were women, perhaps twenty or more, sitting in a semi-circle around him. He noted their state of semi-undress with horror. Just how much had he drunk?!

The brunette on his left (the one whose red dress barely covered her humongous chest) glanced at his face while giggling at something her friend said. "Vous lui êtes réveillées!" she told her friends, mock scolding, "Good morning!" She rolled her 'r's at him gently. Kanda blinked. More like gawked stupidly at her, not that he would ever admit that.

"Tch." he answered in a well-practiced monotone, his voice a bit husky from sleep. The women around him cooed in happiness. They quickly reassumed their conversation in French. Kanda sat up, causing the girls closest to him to move a bit, all still chattering away and looking at him. He would bet that this was that Stupid Rabbit's ultimate dream. The women kept openly staring or glancing not so subtly at him giggling. He could see the Rabbit's face, full picture with the 'strike' pose and a bleeding nose.

"Where are my clothes?" Was the first thing he growled through his teeth. This, of course, caused a round of gleeful giggling. The brunette that had spoken English to him answered.

"Madam took zem. She vashed zem for you. 'ov are you feeling? Bezer zen yezterday I 'ope?"

"When can I get my clothes back?" He retorted, ignoring her question. This caused another round of giggling and some head shaking, too. He was irritated by the whole situation. His head was slowly starting to pound. Just fascinating.

The door to his left opened and the woman from last night came into the room. She had changed into a more appropriate dress, Kanda noted. She put a small bundle on his bed and started ushering the girls from the room. They looked, and sounded quite disappointed with that. The brunette that had spoken to him waved on her way out. One blonde in a very, very short pink dress blew a kiss at him from the doorway. Kanda was somewhere between utter annoyance, rage, amusement, embarrassment and smugness.

The redhead from last night sat at the corner of his bed. She looked at him expectantly.

"Hn."

"I said 'ov are you feeling, cher?"

"Hn."

"I vashed your clothes for you, cher." She gestured to the bundle on the bed. He grabbed for it.

"Where am I?" Kanda questioned as he slipped his shirt quickly. The redhead turned around to give him some privacy.

"You are in my bedroom, cher. In 'Les belles nuits'." She said to him gently, careful not to make his hangover even worse. "You drank a lot hier. Fell asleep as soon as you got varmed up. Ve carried you up 'ere and made sure you vere comfortable." He could hear that she was smiling as she talked to him. Kanda slipped his pants, socks and boots on with practiced ease. He had done this a number of times in worse situations, after all. The woman turned, as if sensing that he was dressed. He didn't like the way her eyes scanned him over. They were too knowing. Too invading. Kanda glared, but the feeling of being naked never left him. The murderous look didn't deter the woman.

"Where is my sword?" Kanda asked, not too politely. His voice was a low growl. He hated mornings. He was hungry. And, his head was pounding by now. Pounding like hell. He didn't remember hitting his head. Was this that hangover thing that the Stupid Rabbit always complained about? He didn't know, and didn't care. He wanted his sword. Now.

The woman laughed and gave him a tiny nod. She walked to the small make-up desk and picked something up from there. It was his sword. He would know Mugen anywhere. It was safe. Kanda crossed the room in seconds, his grace a different kind from the woman's. She had certain poise, a trained, nurtured movement of lady. One that you saw at a fancy dinner or a ball. Kanda, he was a swordsman through and through. His steps were light, soundless compared to her heeled shoes, and he held himself tense, senses constantly open to attack. He was an Exorcist. He expected to be attacked. He suspected everyone of being an Akuma.

When the redhead turned around, she saw Kanda's close proximity. He looked menacing, reaching for his weapon carefully. She didn't object to him taking it. Clear. If she were an Akuma, she would've taken the innocence when she had had the chance.

"Doez zat prove zat I am not a demon?" There was that coy smile on her face. She was reading him. Completely. Kanda scowled down at the woman. She knew about the Akuma? Surprise must've passed his face, as the woman moved around him, heading for the cheap bed. She sat down gracefully, perfect pose. "Yes. I knov about L'Eglise. You are very busy viz zem demons." Kanda didn't respond. He didn't move. Where was this going?

He understood that he was in this woman's debt. She had gotten him off the cold street and into a warm bed. She had given him drinks and then allowed him a full night's sleep. Safe from Akuma. That was rare. And probably expensive. Dark thoughts were swirling through Kanda's head, most of them featuring Komui in painful situations. He wouldn't be in this mess if the Supervisor hadn't had screwed up. Kanda's temper was about to snap. And, the samurai had never had much self-control concerning his anger.

"I require no material payment for zis 'elp zat I 'ave provided you." The redhead surprised Kanda with her words. He gave her a small, curt nod, signalizing that he was listening. "Ve 'ave 'ad pleasant dealings with a Monsieur named Cross from your L'Eglise." Recognition flashed across Kanda's face. General Cross had been here? The most elusive General? Why? Then again, Kanda had heard about the strange man's reputation with women and booze. Then, it made sense. The woman spoke again, her 'r's rolling. "I vill get somebody to escort you to the train station." Kanda stood still. He was waiting for the punch line. There was always a punch line in situations like these. He knew by now, that nothing came served on a silver platter. Kanda frowned. It's not like this situation was his fault. She had given him the alcohol. She had brought him to this room. She had washed his clothes. If he had had it his way, he would've simply paid for his room and been on his way today.

The redhead must've noticed the expressions passing on his face, because she spoke once again. "Nov, breakfast?" There was no punch line. The woman stood and headed out. Kanda took a second to follow her. He secured Mugen to his back as he walked. He wouldn't be letting go of the sword anytime soon. They headed down the hallway. The walls were the same, pale beige color, the paint peeling off. There were many doors, most of them closed. He noticed one open, and decided to peek in. For safety, he reasoned. The room was plain, just like the one that he had been in. There were dresses on the bed, messily thrown. Kanda's wondering eyes caught a glimpse of flesh and he quickly averted his gaze. Slowing down, he threw one more look back, for good measure. The naked woman blew him a kiss. He felt his neck and ears burn with embarrassment. Naked women. Booze. Bedrooms. Realization dawned on him and Kanda froze in his steps. He was in a brothel!

His head felt like a thousand bricks with a drum on top. It all suddenly made sense. The women. All the women in tight corsets and tiny dresses. All the bare shoulders that were flashing left and right. The shameless flirting. Oh God. Kanda wasn't sure what to do. He was in between wanting to run like hell and wanting to take out Mugen and start hacking and slashing. Well, Komui was one of the first people on his list. If he hadn't had left the samurai stranded with little to no money, Kanda wouldn't have gone to the cheaper districts. No, he would've gotten on the train, and been safe on his way home. Not in a brothel. Fuck winter and irregular train scedules, the samurai thought.

"Are you coming?" The redhead's voice came from the front and Kanda's head snapped up, a glare slipping onto his face. The woman didn't even react to it. She still had that knowing, coy smile on her face. That is one of the reasons why Kanda didn't like prostitutes. They knew how to read people. He was indifferent to their profession, but not to their ways. They always seemed to see through you, no matter how much you tried to put on a front. Gritting his teeth, Kanda decided to follow. There was no use now. He would take all that he could get.

The redhead led him down the stairs and into a bar of sorts. He remembered it from last night. It was quieter now, vacant of customers. The band wasn't playing, the stage was empty. There were a couple of girls gathered around the counter, giggling and talking in rapid French. Kanda ignored them. When the duo entered, the women quieted for a second, but then their conversation picked up again. The redhead led Kanda to a table and made him sit. He obliged. The couch was comfortable, even though it smelled of cigar smoke.

The redhead went to the girls a the counter and said something in French. Usually, he didnt have issues with languages. He eiher knew them, or he had a Finder to translate. This time, he had ditched his escort somewhere on the way. They were all replacable, after all. A plate full of delicious looking food was placed on the small table in front of Kanda. The blonde gave him a smile and said something in French. He dug through his head for an appropriate response.

"Merci." He managed to push through. He had heard the Finders say the phrase enough times. Besides, if he was too rude, they might make him pay, and God knows that he couldn't. The girl almost jumped from joy, and the samurai heard her squeal in happiness as soon as she left his sight. Obviously, he was a local attraction of sorts.

"Zey like you." The redhead from before lowered herself on the other side of the table, watching Kanda eat. He had figured that she was the Madam of the brothel. Staying on her good side would be the key. She was watching him. Giving him that look. The one that he didn't particularly like. She was analyzing everything that he did. Kanda didn't like it. He was usually the one that analyzed. He was usually the one that suspected everyone of being an Akuma. He was usually the one that had to read people to survive.

The food was good, even though it wasn't soba. Kanda swallowed it quickly and pushed the plate away. A different giggling girl came to take it away. The brunette also placed a glass of something on the table. Kanda didn't go near it at first. He changed his mind after a while of sitting under the Madam's gaze. It was as if she was waiting for him to do something. Say something. He drank from the glass and realized that it was milk. He almost choked, but he drank. He hadn't expected milk. The Madam's smile grew.

"What?" Kanda barked, his voice snappy. He lowered the glass, the glare ever present on his face.

"You ove me now, cher." Kanda scoffed. A door creaked somewhere behind him and the samurai felt a gust of cold air on his back. It reminded him of the snow and ice outside and his permanent scowl deepened. A bell jingled as the door closed and another female voice joined in with the girls at the counter. Suddenly, they seemed much louder than before. Maybe they actually were louder with the newcomer.

"I don't owe you anything." The exorcist brushed the Madam's words off. He did owe her. He knew that he did. However, Kanda believed in returning a debt. If the Madam asked him to return it, he would. The redhead laughed.

"Don't vorry, cher." She told him. "I von't ask for much." The samurai didn't react, so she continued. "Not many care for my girls. Zey get killed and forgotten. But, zey are someone's children, too. Zose demons of your L'Eglise have been prowling around, murdering, and ze auzorities von't call you on a vord of an escort." After a small pause, she spoke again. "I vill call ven zey appear again and you vill kill zem. Just like Monsieur Cross did."

Kanda sat still when she finished. She wanted him to kill Akuma? When she called? Well, it could've been worse. But, he wasn't some dog on a leash.

"I refuse." The samurai barked and stood. The Madam remained seated, a coy smile ever present on her bright red painted lips. She had read right through his front. She knew that he was a man who returned his debts.

"Sasha!" She called out to the girls. When Kanda turned, he saw one of them stop laughing and split away. She was dressed much less revealing than the rest of them. This must've been the newcomer. Kanda noticed her nose, red from cold, and the small amount of snow on the shoulders of her royal green colored coat. Kanda scanned her over with his eyes. She wasn't anything special. The girl looked around his age, with blue eyes and strawberry blonde hair. Her corset was tight, pushing her breasts up like the rest of the girls, however, it was less revealing. Her skirt was also in a green color, matching her coat, and it was longer, barely at the edge of modesty. If he didn't know what she was, the thought wouldn't have crossed his mind. The Madam spoke a few quick sentences to her in French and the girl nodded.

"Train station it is, then." She had an accent, but not like the rest of them. She wasn't French, Kanda could tell. The girl walked back towards the counter and grabbed a white scarf. She wrapped it around her neck in one smooth motion, showing off the green and gold embroidery. It showed carriages and galloping horses. Handmade, the samurai could tell. He had seen women do things like that during his travels. Not that it was of any interest to him, but he found it peculiar that a prostitute could sew that well. "Are you coming?" The girl asked. She stood by the door, waiting. Kanda walked forward. He changed his mind and turned a bit to look at the Madam.

"Hn." He said and her smile grew.

"À bientôt, cher!" Her voice was in his ears for a while. The girl in green didn't open the door, she merely watched him. When he stood there, still, she scoffed. Kanda raised one eyebrow at the sound. She wasn't a lady, that was for sure, embroidery or not. The girl, Sasha, as the Madam had called her, opened the door with quite a bit of force. She didn't wait for him, but she walked into the frozen street with confidence, her heels clicking with each step. The samurai followed, a scowl on his face. He heard the door slam behind him, but didn't turn.

It was fairly late in the morning, but the quarter was empty. Maybe it was because of the icy weather, or because of the nature of the businesses here. However, it was like a ghost town. He could distinctly hear a couple of windows or doors opening, people going to the market, and even some moaning from a very late customer. The loudest sounds in the street were the girl's heels though. She was walking a bit in front of him, arms wrapped around her tightly. Suddenly, he was happy that the Order made high quality coats. His was nice and warm, even though his hands were slowly going numb with the biting cold.

"Where are you from?" The girl asked, falling in step with him suddenly. He didn't look at her, much less answer. "Do you only speak Chinese or something?" She asked next, her teeth chattering a bit. Kanda grit his teeth. A rude prostitute. Well, that was a first. "Maybe you're just shy." Her voice had taken on a teasing edge now. "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?" She teased, obviously noticing the bright blush that had spread across the expanse of Kanda's neck and ears. He turned to her suddenly, the force of his glare a bit surprising.

"Shut up or I'll kill you."

Apparently, the threat worked, as the girl went quiet once again. Now that he thought about it, Kanda probably wouldn't have killed her. She had been annoying and invasive, but she was honest. The girl hadn't deceived him, not even once. Neither had the Madam. Kanda wasn't a very nice person, but he knew how to appreciate things. And one thing he did appreciate was honesty. It made life so much simpler. He did detest most honest people, though. They tended to be weak.

"This way." The girl grabbed his elbow, her hand looping around the joint and staying there. She pulled him towards the alley, never letting go. Kanda gave a glare, but didn't object. She must've seen it, because she clarified. "A shortcut." And with that, there was silence again. They walked along the alley, her heels clicking against the frozen cobblestones. Kanda's footsteps were silent, almost not there. They passed a couple of drunks exiting a bar. The group of men chuckled and whistled after the girl, but she pressed further into Kanda's side. He felt her breast against his arm and stiffened. She threw him an apologetic look, but didn't move away. The samurai hoped that the train station was near. He promised himself that the next time he was in Paris, he would make sure to keep his Finder with him.

Kanda let out a sigh of relief as soon as he saw he big sign of the train station. They entered and the girl led him to the ticket window. She quickly spoke a few sentences in French and the man behind the glass gave her a ticket. She took it and looked at Kanda expectantly. Scowling, the man dug through his pockets and handed her the money. She gave it to the waiting man and led the Exorcist away. Kanda followed, glad that she had let go of his arm.

"This is the train that will take you to L'Eglise." She spoke, leading him further down the platform. Kanda wondered for a moment how she knew where to send him, but he dismissed it. General Cross was well known to use brothels for information gathering. For a while, they stood on the empty platform, waiting in silence. Kanda looked over the girl a couple more times, but she seemed deep in thought, looking at the tracks. He knew that face. That wishful gaze. He had seen that same look in the mirror. She wanted to leave. However, it wasn't Kanda's problem. It wasn't his life. She would have to grit her teeth and make up her mind on her own. Kanda didn't have a lot of contact with prostitutes. But, it was a strange look to see on one's face. A self-conscious, trapped look, on a prostitute's face. What a joke.

Then, a loud boom sounded somewhere to their left and the floor shook. In a second, Kanda grabbed his sword and ran towards the sound. He knew it a bit too well. Akuma were there.

"Wait!" The girl yelled, and Kanda realized, with annoyance, that she was following him. He was a bit impressed at how fast she could run in those heels. "Wait! Exorcist!" She didn't even know his name. Kanda felt his blood boil as soon as he saw the dark, round shape in the air. Akuma. He unsheathed Mugen and leapt into action, an indifferent look on his face. No matter how bored he seemed, the samurai was excited. He liked fighting. He liked the thrill, the danger.

Mugen sang through the air as Kanda swung down at the soon to be dead Akuma.

**That's all folks! Tell me what you think :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you Leontodon for the favorite and karina001 for the review :D**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 2: In which Kanda gets a letter…**

The last Akuma exploded and Kanda landed on his feet. With a swift move, he slashed through the air with his sword, mostly out of habit. He sheathed it next and straightened out his coat. His eyes darted around, by instinct, looking for any leftover Akuma and surveying the damage. Well, the tracks were intact, he could go home. However, that was about all that was untouched. With a satisfied smirk, Kanda headed back to the platform. He passed the collapsed working girl in the corner on his way, completely ignoring her. She didn't look too good. A bit green, too. Then again, she had chosen to follow him. He wasn't responsible for her or anything. He briefly wondered if her face would match her coat soon. His smirk widened.

What interested him more was the reason why the Akuma were here. Why were they swarming the Red Light district? The Madam had mentioned their recent activity, but she hadn't told him that they were a problem at the moment. Kanda was a tad confused. Usually, Akuma were there because of an Innocence. Accommodator or not, an Innocence was like a magnet to them. Oh well, maybe there was a Broker nearby. Or it had been a stray bunch. Kanda made a mental note to look up the abnormal behavior of the demons as soon as he went back to the Order. Then again, was there ever really a pattern with Level ones? Not really. They were dumb creatures, the samurai concluded.

"Exorcist!" The girl had apparently regained feeling in her legs. Her voice was trembling and a tad broken, but she sounded determined. Kanda didn't turn around though. He heard her heels clicking after him, following. The samurai found a nice pillar, intact and clean and leaned against it, waiting for the train. "Don't you Chinese people have any manners?"

The girl had caught up, panting a bit. There was dust on her royal green coat, but otherwise, she seemed a little spooked, but fine. She had wrapped her arms around her in a defensive position, looking at the samurai for answers.

"Tch." He didn't give any. Rude woman. Why was she still here? Didn't she have a job to do or something? Men to find and rob? Kanda frowned and then glared. He wanted out. Away from her. He hoped that the train would come soon. She was still looking at him. She had that gaze, similar to the Madam's. The one under which he felt naked. For some reason, just looking at her face pissed him off. Then again, a lot of things pissed Kanda off.

The girl smiled suddenly. It was that coy smile. The less-than-honorable-intentions smile. Kanda did not like that smile. He didn't like that smile at all. And then, she was right next to him suddenly, touching him. Kanda did not like to be touched.

"You were pretty cool back there. All warrior mode and everything." Kanda pushed her away, none too gently either. The working girl wouldn't be deterred. Instead of touching his shoulder, she looped her arms through his now, even though his arms were crossed. Kanda gave her a glare that promised pain. He realized with disdain that she was warm and that he liked the warmth. "Maybe you can teach me some moves sometime?" The girl was persistent. And ridiculous.

"You couldn't possibly fight Akuma." He spoke finally. The samurai reveled in the surprise on her face when he actually produced a full sentence. "Even if I did teach you, and I assure you, I won't do such a thing." With that, he concluded their conversation.

The girl scoffed. Kanda raised an eyebrow. She was definitely not the kind of woman that he would peg for a working girl. Self-conscious, opinioned, un-lady like and fully clothed. No. She clashed with Kanda's image of a prostitute. Then again, he didn't really know any prostitutes. He tried to avoid them. Tried to avoid the invasive, knowing eyes that they often had. His mental image of a prostitute was mostly based on the Stupid Rabbit's ranting. And, Kanda had heard enough to paint a very colorful picture.

"Are you even listening to me?" The girl gained his full attention when she pressed into his side. He couldn't help it. His eyes went down to her breasts that were pressed against the dark material of his coat. He attempted to dismiss those thoughts. Self-control, Kanda tried to convince himself. He needed to straighten his self-control.

"Tch." The samurai grunted. He wondered if she would stop talking. "I'm not and I don't intend to. Go home." He ordered through his teeth, rage slowly burning to the surface. For some reason, every time he looked at her face, her baby blue eyes, he got even more pissed. They were so honest, pure, yet they were staring at him. Making him feel exposed. Her face pissed him off.

A frown marred the girl's youthful features. "Is it all Chinese people, or are you the only prick?" She offended again. With a shrug, the girl seemed to give up. "At least I tried."

Kanda scoffed this time. "How do you get any customers with that mouth?" He fired right back, his temper finally getting the better of him. The Akuma hadn't been enough for him to let off steam. Everything caught up to him. The Supervisor, the winter, the language barrier, the brothel, the debt and most importantly, the girl's annoying face. Kanda gave a small smirk of satisfaction.

"Simply, I'm that good." The girl answered. "Not like it's any of your business anyway." Kanda opened his mouth to retort when a deafening train whistle tore through the air. The samurai was a bit pissed at the arrival. The train had gotten there just in time to take away his rebuttal. With a permanent scowl, he headed to the opening doors. The Exorcist turned back, deciding to take one last shot at the girl.

"I'm not Chinese, whore." He bit at her. However, she didn't react to his anger with anger. She flinched a bit at his cruel words, but gave a tiny smile.

"I know, Mr. Samurai." Kanda's eyes winded when she raised her gloved hand in a small wave. "Feel a bit better after letting it all out?" The doors closed before Kanda could reply. He stared at the waving girl for a moment, stunned. She had read him. She had completely read him and accepted all of his anger. Sighing, Kanda gave in and answered the girl with a tiny nod just as the train was leaving.

As the conductor checked his ticket, the only thing Kanda could see was that happy expression on the girl's face.

It took about two months for the Madam to contact him. Kanda had been on a couple of more missions (Komui believed that the samurai was an Akuma killing machine and flung him all around the map constantly). Honestly, the swordsman had been lulled into a sense of security. He had made good on his mental note, though. As soon as he was back at the Order, he had gone to see the public reports and he had gathered all of those on Paris, specifically the Red Light district. Truly, there had been a slight increase in the activity of Akuma there. Not too much (a large city like Paris had enough deaths that attracted the Earl like honey attracted bears), but just enough not to be noticed. Kanda was observant though. He was suspicious of everyone and everything. He had learned in his years as an Exorcist that trust was a myth and that almost everyone had a knife behind their back, waiting for an opportunity to stab it into yours. Kanda had impressive regenerative abilities though, so he was safe, even if he did get stabbed.

On the topic of the letter (more like invitation), it came to the Order, addressed to his full name, surprising the hell out of him (because only Tiedoll wrote to Kanda using his full name, and the General didn't write often, he was too scatterbrained). Kanda had just come back from a mission, a little injured (in his opinion), and he had been dragged (by the ear) to the medical wing by the Head Nurse. Kanda didn't dare anger the woman. He had been on the receiving end of her temper one too many times (Kanda just considered bandages hard to move around in, not realizing that you were not supposed to move while having them), and the samurai had concluded that Lenalee wasn't too bad when angry.

As soon as he had managed to wriggle out of the medical wing (sneak out, using his Exorcist skills unashamedly), Lenalee found him. The Chinese girl was carrying a tray with coffee, heading to revive the science department when she stumbled onto Kanda. She gave him a strange look, not wanting to comment on his state of undress, or mummified new look. To his defense, he was attempting to take the bandages off when she found him (the Head Nurse had decided to wrap them insanely thick and complex, so he wouldn't take them off right away). A look of illumination flashed on Lenalee's face for a second and she addressed him.

"Kanda! How was your mission?" Chitchat. He hated small talk. He hated talk. Small or not. Frowning and managing to get his hands free, Kanda gave her an annoyed look. However, he did answer.

"Fine." He liked Lenalee, which was weird in itself. The girl was kind. She was too kind. He remembered when she came to the Order. She had been so scared, so fragile, so small and alone. He had pitied her then. However, she had gathered herself and made something good out of all that bad. She had managed to make the Order her home. Lenalee had gone a long way from that pitiful, wailing creature on the bed. Now, she was a strong Exorcist. She was a willful girl, fighting for her beliefs. Kanda could respect that.

"I'm glad." Lenalee said, placing her tray on the railing in the hallway. "While you were away Reever made this machine-" And Kanda tuned her out as she updated him on the state of the Order. He liked her, yes, but that didn't mean that he liked all the chitchat that came with her. He knew that this was her way of showing that she cared. She knew how detached he was from the Order, how indifferent he was, and she was attempting to reconnect him, integrate him, by constantly giving him updates on what the people were doing. He didn't think that she knew just how much it annoyed him.

But, Kanda decided to let it go. It obviously meant a lot to her to give him updates. So, he would let her. The girl genuinely cared, which was rare enough in this world as it is. However, she also cared for him. Now that was even rarer. Kanda wasn't the easiest person to like. He wasn't the easiest person to understand either. He didn't like people. Actually, he could count the things that he liked on one hand, and the ones that he didn't, well… He wasn't even going to attempt to count them. There were a lot of them.

"Kanda?" Lenalee called out to him. He noticed how she had a letter in her hands. The samurai raised an eyebrow. He hoped that it wasn't for him. Because, only Tiedoll and Daisya wrote to him. And frankly, he didn't like it when either wrote to him (even though he got that feeling of heat spreading through his chest whenever he received a letter). "This came for you through a Finder in France."

Kanda's eyes widened and he quickly reached out for the paper. Lenalee looked a bit surprised at his enthusiasm (usually he took the letters with disdain), but she let him take it. Kanda looked around, as if trying to see if anyone else knew that he had received a letter. Then, he composed himself again (much to Lenalee's amusement), and gave her a tiny nod of thanks. The Chinese girl watched him walk away (with a white tail of bandages). She gave a smile to the empty hallway and picked up her tray once again.

Kanda was flustered, his neck and ears red. It made her insanely curious. Briefly, the Chinese girl considered discussing it with Lavi.

Paris was better than last time. In Kanda's opinion, that is. Any normal person would've been annoyed by the amount of flurries and sludge on the streets, but they didn't really bother the samurai. He had managed to make an excuse (stealthy in his opinion, but only in his) to Komui and get sent on yet another mission. Sure, he was a bit tired, and hurting from his wounds, but the healing had already kicked in and he was on his way to recovery. It was annoying, how slow it had gotten, it used to be simple to regenerate an arm or two, but now, stabs and gashes were a challenge, much less a severed limb. Kanda was more headstrong than your average Joe, so, he wouldn't take no for an answer and sit still in bed. Komui knew, that if he didn't grant Kanda's sudden request for a mission, he would find the Exorcist in the training rooms, opening his wounds while swinging his sword around. So, the Supervisor allowed the request, giving the samurai a trip to Portugal. There had been some strange, possibly Innocence related activity there. Kanda had requested to go over Paris, using connecting trains (something about comfort and rest that Komui didn't really buy, but allowed). At least the angry man would be still for a while on the train, his bigger wounds would have some time to heal, Komui kept telling himself.

And now, here was Kanda, tightening the hold on his coat and heading towards the 'Les belles nuits'. His boots kept slipping on the dirty sludge of snow and he growled whenever a carriage passed by, spraying the mess all around it. He managed to find the old building easily enough, and pushed the door open. The smoke and laugher swallowed him. The band was playing in the corner, like last time, and Kanda was warmed up instantly.

"Mr. Samurai!" The girl from last time addressed him, fluttering over to him from her place on some gentleman's lap. Her skirt was considerably shorter than last time, but still in the same deep royal green color. It clashed with her hair, Kanda thought, but not in an entirely bad way. As soon as he looked at her face, he got a pang of annoyance in his stomach for some reason. "Are you cold, Mr. Samurai?" She grabbed his arm, clinging to it like last time. She was looking at him. She was looking right through the angry front, analyzing. Kanda pushed her away.

"You should learn how to write a proper letter. It took me an hour to decipher it." Kanda attempted to hit her where it hurt. It was the truth though. She had written the letter, making atrocious grammar mistakes everywhere. He was a bit surprised to receive a letter, especially from a prostitute. They weren't supposed to be educated in his mind. Then again, he wasn't too good with letters either. He was better than Daisya though. His maps were more detailed. Precise. When he actually bothered to make them. Which was almost never.

"Maybe you're just slow?" She retorted readily. Kanda grumbled, but followed her to the stairs and up. She was leading him to the Madam's room. He had been there last time. Kanda tried to drown out all the moans that were ringing out from different rooms. A brothel. He swore to himself that Lavi would never ever find out about this. Ever. The girl knocked on a familiar door and entered after a short yell in French from the inside. The samurai was expecting to see the Madam naked on the bed with a client or something, but she wasn't. She was sitting with a tall, slender, sharp dressed man, drinking tea. The Exorcist gave a frown, but didn't comment.

"Ah! Sasha, cherie! Asseyez-vous, s'il vous plaît! Vous aussi, cher!" The redhead waved them both over. Kanda didn't react at first. He didn't speak French, after all, he had no idea what she wanted. The girl, however, solved his problem. Her fingers gripped his elbow with surprising strength and pushed him forward. Soon, the samurai found himself in between the two women, staring at the scrawny gentleman in front of him. The man didn't seem deterred, though. He was staring at Kanda like the samurai was his next course or something. The swordsman felt a chill go down his spine. His instincts were telling him to get the hell out of there. And Kanda never ignored his instincts. He stood, his back rigid and muscles tight with tension.

"I don't have time for tea parties. I leave for Portugal tonight." The Madam gave a nod. The blue eyed, rude girl stood with a sigh. She exchanged a couple of sentences in French with the Madam and then grabbed Kanda and led him out. Her hand didn't leave his elbow even after the door had closed. Her grip was strong, almost painful. Kanda let her lead him away. At least she wasn't looking at him like that anymore. Looking him through, seeing his core. He hated that look.

"That was very rude." The girl finally spoke with surprising anger in her voice. "Monsieur De Beauchamp may have peculiar tastes, but he is a good client." They were almost all the way down the stairs by now.

"Che." Kanda's glare deepened. "If peculiar is another way to say perverted then sure, he has peculiar preferences." He smirked when the girl whirled around, giving him a heated glare. Finally, he could see her. She had surprising fire there, under all that make-up of politeness and poise. She was live fire.

"You don't understand anything." She retorted, calming down. She seemed sad. Impressive self-control, Kanda thought.

"I understand that you need my help." The samurai said. She shook her head and laughed suddenly. Kanda was surprised. He had tried to bait her again. He preferred her hotheaded, rather than cold and analyzing. He hated that look when she read people. He hated being read.

"You're adorable." This surprised him even further. "You're scared because a man gave you a bit of attention? Stared at you like you were a piece of meat?" She was too close for comfort. Kanda felt his back hit the wall, peeling paint leaving marks on his dark coat. He hadn't been aware that he had stepped back. Her eyes were lidded, analyzing him, reading his every move. She was enjoying the way he squirmed. The way his neck and ears went beet red. Kanda felt pissed when he looked at her for some reason. Her face pissed him off. He searched his memory for her name, but it wasn't there. She simply hadn't been important. Now she was. Now, she was a threat. She was looking.

"I'm not into those kinds of things." Kanda grit through his teeth. He didn't like men. He liked women. True, his first kiss had been with a man. Jiji had drunk one too many and Kanda had suffered the consequences. He was well aware that he was attractive. That he looked girly to some people. That he could pass for a woman if he really tried. And he didn't give a damn about it. He was an Exorcist. Appearance was irrelevant.

"You're easily one of the most beautiful people that I've ever seen." Suddenly, the girl didn't seem threatening. Her hand came up and brushed a piece of his hair out of his eyes gently. Surprisingly, Kanda wasn't really bothered by the close proximity of her skin. Her eyes captivated him. She was still looking at him, but in a different way. Her eyes were sad, nostalgic. She was still reading him, but not forcefully. She wasn't invading. She was gentle, caressing him with her mere presence. Her words hit deeper than he liked to admit.

"Shall we go find those demons of yours?" She suddenly pulled away and walked down the remaining steps. Kanda's ears were assaulted by all the noise from the bar. The band and the laughter and the moans, they had been muffled, almost mute, when she had come close to him, pushed him to the edge. He felt a bit lightheaded. He took a breath and realized that he had barely been breathing.

The woman was trouble and he couldn't even remember her name.

The girl slipped on the sludge outside for the thousandth time and Kanda finally got fed up. He grabbed her and pulled her to him, draping a casual arm around her shoulders. To everyone else they looked like a happy couple walking in the miserable weather. However, Kanda could feel his neck and ears burn at the close proximity of a girl that was definitely not Lenalee (who he considered a friend, hence a big romantic no-no). The girl, though, she could feel the impossibly strong grip of the Exorcist on her green coat. She was pretty sure that no matter how much she slipped now, he wouldn't let her fall.

The rain started, much to Kanda's amusement (he had his warm, waterproof coat, while the cheeky prostitute soaked in her beloved green fabric). However, he wanted to get this over with and head out to Portugal. He hadn't told Komui about the unusual activity of Akuma in Paris. He wasn't planning to either. It wasn't really his problem. Or more like, it was only his problem. Komui didn't really need to know, Kanda reasoned.

The troublesome girl pulled him to the left and away from the carriages and the busier roads. She led him further and further into the outskirts, along the Seine. At some point Kanda got a tad suspicious, but he relied on his instincts, as usual. They weren't turning on any alarms in his head, so he figured that they were fine. Soon, she pulled him into a building. Kanda had to admit that he hesitated before entering. The structure looked ominous. It was made out of bricks, tall, looking like a factory of sorts. The old windows were either broken or messily taped and fixed with planks. Snow was both on the outside and the inside.

"We've all heard rumors of this factory being haunted. Supposedly, the workers died here during a fire and now they stay here, still, with unfinished business." The girl spoke, her voice grim. Obviously, she was a good storyteller. He was touched.

"Tch." The samurai gave his opinion.

The girl led him further inside, her shiny heels clicking against the metal parts of the floor. Kanda followed. It sounded like perfect Akuma breeding ground to him. Enough dead to go around for all. He would've been surprised if no one had been visited by the greedy Earl.

The girl slowed down and then completely stopped after a while, silent. Kanda gave her a look, waiting for her to continue. He didn't see any Akuma. They had called, so, they should know where the creatures that they wanted dead were. The prostitute stood still for a second. She was staring at the wall that had been brought down by fire. Kanda could see the gaping holes and different smudges. People had probably burned right there, in that spot. He wasn't about to say it out loud, though. The girl looked traumatized enough. He did enjoy causing terror and mishap from time to time, however, Kanda knew where to draw the line. He wasn't a good person, and he knew that, but he wasn't evil either. He merely used different methods to obtain things. Breaking someone so clearly broken, it wasn't Kanda's style.

"Mademoiselle Sasha?" A voice came from behind them and the two turned, debris crunching with the movement. Kanda's hand which had reached for his sword relaxed when he saw the woman. She was a pretty, middle aged lady, dressed rather formally. She had a bouquet of flowers in her hands.

"Madam Monette! Comment allez-vous depuis tout ce temps?" The vulnerable look was gone from the girl's face. It was carefully schooled into a mask of politeness and perfection. "This is my friend, Kanda, from Asia." The prostitute suddenly introduced him, surprising the samurai a bit. He didn't let it show on his face, though.

"Oh! I see!" The woman answered. "I 'ave been as vell as one could be, petit Sasha." Kanda was a bit glad that they had switched from French. He understood, but then again, he didn't really care. He didn't want to know more about the strange prostitute. In fact, he wanted to finish his job and be on his way. The less time he spent with the woman that could read him so well, the better. She was dangerous, in the worst of ways.

As the two females chatted away, Kanda decided to explore. He gave a tiny nod to the girl and went deeper into the building. It was falling apart, so he kept testing out his steps carefully. Falling a couple of floors down wouldn't do him any good. Factories like these had basements. Kanda had been in a couple before (one involving Daisya and his Charity Bell, needless to say, it had ended badly). Going down with his current wounds wouldn't be good at all. A scream tore through the stale air from somewhere behind Kanda and he changed directions in an instant, heading back towards the girl.

Excitement pooled into his stomach, as he drew Mugen. Kanda saw the exit and two figures, one on the floor and the other rising off the ground, expanding into an Akuma. In a split second, the samurai appeared on the other side of the space, jumping towards the Akuma. He slashed twice, making precise cuts and landed on his feet, away from the liquid spray that ensued. The Akuma exploded and he headed towards the fallen prostitute.

"Is that all of them?" Kanda's voice was cold, detached. The girl looked at him, eyes wide. Obviously, she had known the woman. Maybe even been close to her. He hated these cases. He hated the whole crying and screaming part. However, it never came. The girl took a few deep breaths, eyes wide and managed to get up. Kanda watched carefully, still waiting for an emotional outburst. Another few trembling breaths and the prostitute looked up at the Exorcist, eyes still wide. Her mouth was open, tiny, shaky gasps coming out. Kanda raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know." She finally managed to gasp out. Her hands were shaking. Kanda could see her legs buckling. The pretty royal green coat was wet with the melting snow from the ground.

"Che." The samurai turned around, slipping Mugen back into its sheath. This was going to be a pain. He could tell. Oh well, they weren't Finders. He may not like the white clad people, but they were rather useful. Finders were selected on their skills with languages, investigation, information gathering etc. Unfortunately, Kanda didn't like them, and spent most of his time Finder-less. No matter how skilled they were, they were replaceable, unlike Exorcists. Not many people could use the Innocence. Kanda was all too familiar with the whole yearning-for-Innocence state. He had tried to be indifferent towards that, too. The keyword was tried. In the end, he mostly hated left and right. It was an emotion that he knew how to deal with.

"Exorcist!" The girl followed Kanda, heading outside. Her heels were clicking against the metal again. Kanda didn't stop though. "Hey! You're not going to search for others?" She asked, finally grabbing his forearm. Kanda whirled around, glaring.

"That's not my job." He growled, unconsciously enjoying the way the girl flinched. She wasn't all that strong and analyzing now. The girl was trembling like a leaf, gripping his forearm like a lifeline. Kanda ripped away from the strawberry blonde, scowl deepening.

"You can't just leave!" She followed him again, stepping into his path. Kanda glared and she flinched once more. "You can't just leave!" She repeated. Her eyes were different. He could see that fire from before. Kanda knew how to deal with that. He himself had that flame inside. He smirked.

"It's not my job to look for Akuma. They either find me and attack me, or the Finders tell me where to go to kill them." He told her. She was still for a moment, frozen. Then, she slowly relaxed, the fire leaving her eyes. The prostitute looked broken, devastated. They both remained there for a while. The girl was in shock, Kanda could tell. She was on an emotional rollercoaster. The samurai, well, he was waiting for a reaction. No matter how much he didn't care about the girl, her reactions amused him. She wore her feelings on her sleeve. It was strangely refreshing and painfully honest.

"But-" She spoke. "What about us?" Now she was looking up at him, hopeful. Kanda knew what she meant. The escorts. They weren't protected by the police. They were invisible. Dead or alive, it didn't really matter. One more or one less prostitute didn't really matter. Their lives were insignificant, forgotten. Kanda understood what she meant. He understood the fear or dying tomorrow and no one paying attention. No one noticing that you are gone. No one really caring. Because you were insignificant.

"It's not my problem." Kanda spoke.

**That's all folks!**

**Excuse my French, it's been a while since I've used it :P**

**karina001: I'm glad that you liked it. Actually, during the search for Allen Walker Arc, Kanda gets accidentally drunk and has a terrible hangover. I was just playing with that a bit. I think that Kanda is the kind of person to not really have a high alcohol tolerance, because he doesn't drink that often. I hope that that makes sense?**

**Agreed, wait till Lavi learns of Kanda's secret missions. He he heeeee~ Hope you enjoyed :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Right, I don't own D. GM, I do own my OCs and the tiny plot.**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 3: In which Kanda gives up…**

Kanda ended up staying in Paris that night. No. He did not stay because of guilt. He didn't stay because of the prostitutes. He stayed because of Akuma. He was an Exorcist. A destroyer. He needed to stay there and destroy the demons. It was his duty, his fate. He definitely did not stay because he could relate to the prostitute. No, that would've been atrocious.

Convincing Komui had been an art. He had ended up telling the Supervisor a half-truth. Kanda didn't know how to lie. He was a terrible liar, in fact. He would to get flustered, his neck and ears would burn and he tended to forget the cover story, too. So, Kanda had found a way to solve this problem a couple of years back. It was around the time when Leverrier had come for a visit to the European Branch. Lenalee had vanished into Kanda's favorite dojo, meditating with him for hours. Even after he left, she would stay there and sit still. Kanda never asked questions. There was simply no need to. He knew. He had seen the Inspector in action. Cruel was one way to describe it. Cold and uncaring another. Kanda was detached, indifferent, but he was never cruel. He was above that. Weak people tended to protect themselves by being cruel, and Kanda was anything but weak. He sometimes came off as annoying. He got called a Devil or a Demon, but, he was never cruel just for the sake of being cruel. Uncaring, yes, but not evil.

"Mr. Samurai, will this be alright?" The prostitute that he had been assigned to, the rude strawberry blone one, got his attention. He looked at her and felt that familiar pang of irritation. Her face really pissed him off. She wasn't ugly or anything. But, there was just somehing that pissed him off. Then again, a lot of things pissed Kanda off.

The Exorcist looked around the room that she had been showing him. It was rather plain, but comfortable. A bed, a small dresser, a nightstand and a window. Not a lot, but it was better than the cold and wet snow outside. Kanda undid the strap of his Mugen, taking the sword into his hands. He headed to the bed, but then changed his mind and placed the sword onto the nightstand. The girl must've noticed, because she spoke.

"Those are fresh sheets, washed this morning." Honestly, Kanda was glad that she had spoken and made him focus on her, rather than the muffled moans. "And this is one of the out of service bedrooms. It used to be mine, actually." Kanda turned around, giving her a glare, but she didn't stop talking. She didn't even flinch at the heated glare. "Madam is good to us. We aren't just business to her. We are a family."

Kanda snorted. "So, following that logic, your mother pimps you out to sleezy men? Or do you consider her your sister?" He was being nasty and he knew it. However, Kanda called it like he saw it. The girl didn't react how he expected. She didn't cry and she didn't yell. She laughed.

"Sounds bad when you say it that way." Kanda took off his coat and threw it onto the bed. The girl had walked towards it and plopped down, making herself comfortable. The garment landed beside her. "I came here a while back, but, unlike I expected, the Madam didn't make me work right away. She let me do chores and dance or play an instrument in the band. I even bartended for a while." Kanda leaned against the wall, listening. He didn't particulary care about the blonde. However, she was intriguing. She pushed his limits, but, she never made him lose it completely, like others did. It was strange, how well she could read him, considering that he had met Lavi. The Stupid Rabbit was a genius (even though he acted like an idiot a lot). He knew people. Maybe he just irritated Kanda for the heck of it. However, this girl was interesting. She pushed, but always pulled away just in time.

"Even now, I don't provide the same services as some of the girls. Mostly, I mediate." Kanda must've looked confused, because she quickly explained. "I speak a couple of languages and I'm pretty good with people. I'm of more use in the bar, mediating, rather than in the bed, moaning under a man." The girl smiled a dangerous, coy smile when Kanda's ears went red. He couldn't help it. He was a man. And she had basically put a picture into his head.

"Tch." The girl stood, surprising him a bit.

"The bar is going to serve dinner in a couple of hours. You are welcome to come down and dine with us." With another smile, she left him, closing the door behind her and muffling the low music and moaning.

Kanda spent his spare time meditating. Well, attempting to meditate. It gave his, still healing, wounds time to recover. He sat on the floor, trying to drown out the music and moans. Darn brothel. Stupid meditation. It was supposed to hone his senses, but that backfired in this situation. It made him especially receptive to sound. So, he heard everything. After a while, he gave up and just sat there, on the floor, thinking.

He wondered why hadn't he just gone to Portugal? He could've. But, that would've meant leaving Akuma alive. No, he couldn't diss his job. He was a destroyer. He would destroy them. The girl's face had been priceless, though. They had left the factory, and after walking for a while, he had stopped and taken out his golem. After connecting it to a public phone and talking to his Supervisor, the samurai had growled at the girl that he would be staying the night and to provide accomodation. If Kanda didn't make it on the noon train tomorrow, Komui was going to have to send Lenalee to Portugal. Well, it was about time to get her out there for a bit. The Supervisor was a bit too overprotective.

The whole way to the brothel, the girl had clung to his elbow, talking his hear off, ecstatic. Kanda had tuned her out after a while. She could've been speaking in French for all he knew. The shock of someone she knew dying had worn off fast. It was surprising to the samurai. Intruiging. She had to have had a previous face-to-face with death to be like that. Then again, looking around the quarter, it wasn't improbable that she had come close to death quite a few times.

It was strange, the girl's presence. Kanda usually didn't like being touched. Especially his hair. However, this prostitute had breached all of those lines, rather casually, and in a strange way, she hadn't been invasive. Usually, when people touched Kanda they had a reason to. That reason made them invasive somehow. The touches bothered Kanda. They made him feel strange and vulnerable. They made him feel uncomfortable. So, Kanda didn't like being touched. But, this prostitute, she didn't touch to be invasive. No, he could tell, she did it to confirm her existence. This girl, both with her analyzing look and gentle, natural touches, he didn't mind her. She annoyed him, like everyone else, but, he supposed that she wasn't a bad person to do mediation. She knew how to read people and when to push and when to pull back. He, too, had been a victim of her ways, more than once. Lavi will never find out. Actually, since Lavi will never find out about Kanda's deal with the Madam, he will never need to know about Sasha.

A frown appeared on Kanda's face. Usually, it was relaxed when he meditated or sat still. He had remembered her name. Sasha. It was a strange name, but it suited her somehow. Kanda had that weird thing, where he just 'knew' how someone bearing a certain name should look like. Sasha was usually a girl's nickname (unisex in some countries). He imagined a short person, with partially wavy hair and wide, bright eyes. And a white scarf. No, that was just the prostitute. A strange prostitute indeed. She really did love that stupid white scarf and the silly royal green color.

A knock came from the door and a brunette in a pink dress peeked in, not waiting for approval. Her eyes looked over Kanda with appreciation, giggling, while he attempted to avoid looking anywhere below her face (it was a challenge, as she was wearing very little). She made a strange motion with her hand, and he just stared at her (he didn't really get what she was trying to tell him). A small frown passed her face and then she entered the room, grabbing Kanda's arm. He felt something coil in the pit of his stomach. The contact made him uncomfortable.

"Allons-y! Dinner!" The girl heavily rolled her words. French, Kanda frowned and shook her off, but he did follow. Where was the strawberry blonde? The one that actually spoke a language other than French and didn't piss him off too much.

The short journey down two flights of stairs was almost non-existent. By now, Kanda was used to the noises of the upper floors. He blocked them out and schooled his eyes away from the couple of open doors. He really didn't need to see any more naked duos or trios doing the horizontal tango. He had made the mistake of letting his eyes wander on his way up with Sasha. Yes, he was a samurai. He would practice his iron will and self-control. Right now.

The brunette's arm suddenly looped around his, pulling him into the loud bar. Kanda flinched, but made himself not react. It's not because she was a woman. Kanda didn't really set men and women apart in that department. Sure, he preferred to fight men, however, he didn't discriminate. But, in this situation, he discerned that it was much better to hold it in this time. Between the brunette's little-to-none language skills and the nature of his visit, it could end badly.

The bar was full of sounds. The band in the corner slowed down gradually after a while, and then completely stopped playing. The ladies and gentlemen that were sitting around and talking (or kissing and groping, Kanda mostly ignored that part), quieted. The brunette let go of his arm and headed to one of the older gentlemen with a woman on each side. She settled herself into his lap and he held her there, a smile on his face. Kanda grunted in annoyance and headed for the bar. There, he pushed himself on a tall stool and looked around, searching for Sasha. He didn't find her.

A couple of girls went back and forth, from behind the counter and carried plates and bowls with different foods onto the small tables in between the couches and ottomans. There was silence and then a single high pitched, but gentle sound rang through the room. Kanda looked to see the Madam dipping her fingers into her glass once again. She took them out and dragged them around the edge of her glass, producing another gentle sound. Her girls soon followed suit, and there was music. Everyone was still, listening. Kanda wasn't sure if he liked it or not, but it was mesmerizing. There was just something enchanting about the whole scene.

All the girls had smiles on their faces, making different sounds with their variety of glasses and drinks. A girl with pitch black, curly hair placed a plate in front of Kanda. She gave him a sly, inviting smile and walked away, giving him a full view of her behind. Kanda ignored it.

He was finishing his meal when the smoking started. The women would eat and take short puffs from different cigars, making it hard to breathe. The customers mostly ate, however, some didn't, and chose to smoke with the women and fool around with them. Kanda's observant eyes caught a flash of royal green and he zoomed in on it, not lowering his fork. Sure enough, there was Sasha in her signature color, a small dress on her, showing her shoulders and riding up all the way to her thighs, the way she sat. And she was settled on a man's lap, straddling him. She was bent, whispering into his ear, giggling. The gentleman was giving her a look. That look. The sleazy, wanting one. Kanda growled and stood, food suddenly tasteless.

Rage burned hot red in him as he marched back upstairs. He didn't know why he was angry. She was a prostitute. It was normal for her to pleasure men. Even though Madam had assigned her to be his guide, she had a job.

She wasn't his or anything. He squashed the anger and grabbed his coat and sword. It was time to look for Akuma.

Surprisingly, after hours of language barrier frustration and threatening, Kanda found some Akuma related commotion. He had managed to obtain a list of the fire victims from the police (one of the younger officers knew some English). At first, they weren't too happy to give him the names, however, after Kanda mentioned his employer (the Black Order was rather famous, after all), they gave them to him, and offered any help that they could provide. The Exorcist declined. He needed to keep busy. He didn't want to go back to that brothel. All those women with knowing eyes and strange, unashamed behavior were giving him a headache. And Sasha. She was becoming more and more annoying every time she crossed Kanda's mind. She acted too familiar and her face annoyed him. He needed to be busy and not there, where he could see the irritating woman.

He went to each address from the list, looking for loved ones that were grieving. He found a couple of Akuma, almost all Level Ones. After all, his skills were honed to sense them. A particularly nasty Level Two (with some kind of an exploding ability) had been a bit of a problem. It had added a number on injuries on his old wounds, causing him to stumble clumsily from blood loss and pain.

Kanda frowned and spit out some Akuma blood that had gotten into his mouth with disdain. He stumbled on the icy cobblestones and marched on. His breath created small puffs of white as he exhaled. The air was crisp and the sun hadn't risen yet. The sky was slowly becoming less and less dark, though. Kanda wrinkled his nose at the smell of the Akuma blood. It was oilier than normal blood, and it had a strange unpleasant scent. Kanda didn't really care, but it was a bit annoying, all over his coat and hair. Yes, he wanted a bath.

With another stumble, Kanda reached the brothel. He opened the door, glad to be out of the street. He didn't really like all the stares that he had been getting. The bell jingled when he closed it. Kanda was surprised to see the bar almost empty and silent. The slowly rising sun lit the room. A couple of girls were tidying up, removing the plates and glasses. Kanda walked forward, not really caring that he was leaving Akuma blood all over the place. He wanted a bath and to be on his way after a couple of hours of sleep.

He saw a familiar face and walked to the girl. When he touched her shoulder with his hand, she stopped folding the blankets and looked up. A smile made its way onto her face and she spoke in French. Fast. He tried to make some words out, separate them, but she was speaking too fast. At some point, she must've realized that he didn't understand a word, because she giggled and then spoke slowly, but barely understandable.

"Velcome back. Sasha up." She pointed towards the stairs for good measure. Kanda supposed that this was as good as he was going to get. He gave the girl a nod and then walked towards the stairs. He headed upwards, frowning at the way his boots made squishy noises because of the blood. He went to the second floor right away, where the non-customer rooms were. There, he stopped the first girl that he saw.

"Where's Sasha?" Kanda growled. The dark haired woman tilted her head, but she pointed to a door that Kanda hadn't seen open yet. He gave her a nod and headed there. He heard the girl giggle behind him, but he didn't stop. Without knocking, Kanda entered the room. It was steamy inside, the whole place in tiles. A bath, Kanda figured. Sure enough, he saw the bathtub in the middle of the room and a girl sitting on the edge. Well, an outline in the steam, that is. He felt his neck go red and reached back for the doorknob to leave.

She turned slightly when he entered, looking at him. Her eyes widened at the sight of all the blood, but she schooled her expression. Kanda could see Sasha's skin. It was red, rubbed furiously, probably with hot water. He gave a frown, but didn't ask questions. If she wanted to hate herself, she could. It wasn't his problem.

"Feel free to join me. You look like you need it." Sasha gave her usual cheeky reply. Kanda, even though he could feel his neck and ears burning, stayed just to spite her. He placed his Mugen on one of the clothing shelves and unbuckled his coat. It fell from his shoulders and down on the floor in a heap. Kanda didn't bother to fold it, but kept stripping. He dropped his shirt and undid his ponytail, letting his dark hair (dirtied with Akuma blood) fall down his, now bare, back.

He could feel her gaze on him. It wasn't reading, analyzing, it was hot, scortching. She liked what she saw. Why was he even doing this? Kanda wondered for a second. He knew very well why. She had teased him. She had left him speechless and breathless, disoriented, enough times. Now, he would repay the favor. Cheeky prostitute. His threats rattled her, but not enough. He would fight fire with fire.

Kanda was by no means shy about his physique. In fact, he knew that his body was a sight to see (with all the training that he did, how could it not be?), but he found his ears going lobster red when he dropped his pants and bent to undo his boots. It was the prostitute. She had done something to him. There was no other way to explain it. He had felt entilted to her full attention. Why? Sure, the Madam had given her to him as a guide, but she was still a working girl. Kanda didn't have any claim on her or anything. Yet, he had been pissed off because he hadn't had her full attention today. She had done something to his head. Bewitched him. Kanda didn't believe in witches. They had almost always turned out to be Akuma. Maybe she was an Akuma? A Level Two whose special ability allowed her to manipulate his mind? Then why would she call the Order to kill all the Level Ones? A cover? Kanda was confusing himself, going in circles, stripping on autopilot.

"That's a beautiful tattoo, Mr. Samurai. What does it mean?" The voice came from behind him and her fingers touched his left shoulder and bicep while she inspected the tattoo in the mirror in front of them. Kanda jumped a little at the contact. He wasn't used to people touching him. He wasn't used to people touching him while he was naked. He wasn't used to being naked in front of other people.

"Wash these." Kanda said. It wasn't really an order, but it wasn't a request either. The girl got the meaning though. She pushed away from him, her fingers gliding along his flesh as long as they could before letting go. Kanda surpressed shivers at her gentle touch. She was trouble. Sasha was trouble.

"I'll be back in a bit." She informed him, collecting his clothes and leaving. Kanda felt like he had succeeded. After all, he hadn't looked at her naked body even once. Kanda walked over to the clawfoot tub. The water looked clean enough, but he emptied it either way. The liquid had been hot. Almost unbearably so. Had Sasha actually bathed in this? She must be insane then. Kanda liked his water warm. In fact, he had quite enjoyed the hotsprings that were a tradition in his home country. However, this was a bit too much, even for him. The samurai inspected the tub and the room, searching for a source of water. He really missed the Order at times like these. The Science Department had made running water for the whole building (to everyone's joy). They had public baths, but some rooms (usually the Generals stayed in these) had their own tubs. Kanda had to admit that he was guilty of abusing General Tiedoll's bathroom. Well, the chain of missions had left the samurai in pretty bad shape (the water had helped him speed up the healing process). Just as Kanda was about to peek out and yell for Sasha, the girl in question opened the door. She looked up at Kanda's surprised face (he was just about to open said door), and gave him a tiny smile, throwing him off guard.

"A little help here?" It wasn't an order. It was a request. Kanda's strong arms came to the handles of her burden, a large metal pot of sorts, and he took it with ease. The samurai gave her a questioning look at the clear and steaming liquid from the pot. "Water for your bath." Sasha explained and headed into the room. She was clothed now. Well, partially, but Kanda would take anything over her completely naked like before. The soft cotton robe (in royal green) covered just enough, even though Kanda had seen almost everything when he had entered. He was really thankful for all the steam in the bath. His ears were burning.

Sasha waited until he poured the water into the tub and then she made him get in. Kanda enjoyed the feel of the hot liquid relaxing his muscles. His wounds didn't hurt too badly anymore. A bath really did fix everything. She passed him some soap and pulled a small chair near his head. Kanda expected her to leave, but she sat down (outside of his vision) and started rummaging around. The samurai pushed back the red flare that hadn't left his neck and ears, but it only intensified at the close proximity of the girl.

Sasha's hand, with a small bowl in it, came over his shoulder (Kanda noticed her maniquered nails, baby blue, like her eyes) and she scooped some of the warm water. He felt the liquid hit his temple and slide down (he did not flinch, at all), wetting his hair. The Akuma blood dripped into the clear water, making it go a weird gray with oily circles of purple on top. However, Sasha didn't stop. She poured another bowl of water over his head and Kanda dreaded what was going to come next. The girl's hands came down and into his dark locks, rubbing something in them. Now, he flinched. Rage bubbled in him. How dare she? This was too personal! Even for the way that she pushed his boundaries! Kanda's hands flew up and grabbed hers in a vice grip.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He growled, murderous. If Mugen had been closer, he would've drawn in. Kanda felt Sasha tremble at the sheer power in his voice. Good. She should be scared.

"Serving you?" Her tone was questioning. She believed that she hadn't done anything wrong. Another growl left Kanda's mouth.

"This is what you do for your custumers?" He was angry. He was furious. He wasn't some pervert that came here to take advantage of these poor girls. No, if he wanted a woman, he would get one, the proper way. Courting, Lavi had explained it all (even though Kanda really hadn't wanted to hear it). The whole thing with flowers. Ridiculous. However, Kanda would do it, if he ever found the woman that was worth all that trouble (which he doubted). Then again, maybe that woman would be worth it. The one that kept him alive.

"No." Sasha finally replied. "I'm doing this for you." Her hands wriggled left and right, and Kanda let go. She didn't touch him again. Kanda felt her move forwards, her drying hair brushing against his shoulder. "May I continue?" She asked, suddenly polite. She was good. He would give her that much. An unwanted heat spread through his chest. The one that he usually felt around Tiedoll, Lenalee and Marie. Well, sometimes even around Daisya and the Stupid Rabbit.

"Che." Kanda chose not to really reply. He wasn't really sure whether he wanted her to help him with his hair or not. His anger and ego were saying no, but his tired muscles and heavy arms were saying yes. Akuma blood was always a real bitch to get out of hair (especially because Kanda washed it with soap). In the end, Kanda chose to pick up the soap and start at his legs.

He jumped a bit when Sasha's fingers sank back into his hair, but didn't object. A pang of irritation went through him. He didn't like people touching him. He especially didn't like people touching his hair. He pushed the irritation down, a scowl deepening on his face and rubbed his calf angrily. A few minutes later, the samurai relaxed under the girl's hands though. He even leaned back (he would never ever admit that he did that), so Sasha could reach everything better. Her fingers were magic. They pressed against his scalp gently, alternating between hard and soft circles, her nails scraping against his head from time to time. Kanda was reduced to putty.

He wasn't sure how much time passed between her rinsing and putting more stuff in his hair and then repeating the process. He could've been there for hours for all he knew. At some point, he had stopped washing himself and just leaned back, enjoying the attention. The irritation that he usually got when someone touched his hair was still there, but it had taken a back seat in his mind. This must be heaven, Kanda figured.

It all ended a bit too soon and Sasha pulled away. She had pulled his hair up in a bun, so it wouldn't get into the soapy water. Kanda grunted and pushed himself up, continuing his bath begrudgingly. A thought of kidnaping the girl passed his mind. Then again, the Order wouldn't be too happy about him bringing a prostitute just to wash his hair. However, Kanda did make a mental note. Every time he was somewhere near Paris, he would stop here and get a repeat of this. Yes, he would. Unashamedly.

He tuned in on Sasha moving about, and turned. She had bandages, a towel and clothes ready for him. Kanda pushed himself up and got out of the tub, ears aflame, and proudly walked to her to take the towel. Sasha never stopped smiling coyly, but she allowed him some privacy and turned around. Kanda was quick in drying himself and putting on the borrowed clothes (they were annoyingly large on him). He didn't touch the bandages. He didn't need them. It would heal soon anyways. Most of the blood on his clothes had been that of the Akuma he had killed.

"Feeling better, Mr. Samurai?" The girl spoke and Kanda looked down, searching for her expression. She was smiling. Like that day when she had sent him on his way to the Order. Damn woman. She was just the kind that Kanda couldn't deal with. Actually, he didn't know how to deal with her. Manipulative, yet honest, mischievous, yet kind. Sasha was a big contradiction. Just what had he gotten into?

"Tch." Kanda brushed past her, heading to his room. His neck and ears were still burning.

**That's all folks!**

**karina001: I'm glad you've liked it so far :D Yeah, my update speed really varies… I write in breaks at college, or on the bus xD So, yeah, takes a while sometimes. I often write something, and then it takes longer for me to check it over than to actually write it, like this chapter hahaha**

**I'm really trying hard to keep Kanda IC, he is a challenge, especially in the romance department… I hope that I'm doing fine :) It's fun, being all sarcastic and all that, hating left and right… I figure that Kanda does a lot of thinking, and not a lot of talking (even though Hoshino said that he is the dumbest of the group, I figure that Kanda relies on instinct more than on brains) I try to make him as much of a cactus as I can :P**

**Hope you enjoyed :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 4: In which Kanda gets haunted…**

Kanda growled at the Finder and the man went silent (finally, Kanda mentally groaned), allowing the Exorcist to read his mission file. They were on a train to Portugal, a small town called Peniche, was supposedly inhabited by some kind of a prophet or something. Kanda was skeptical, as usual, but the file told how this man performed miracles. He banished demons, purified ghosts and recognized witches. The samurai snorted as he read the file. Some woman had reported how this prophet, the man of God, had healed her son and then the Order had sent people to investigate further. Kanda's snort had a visible effect on the Finder, who was sitting on the floor in the same compartment as the Exorcist. The young man jumped a little and then cowered, leaning away from the fuming samurai. Great, Kanda thought. Komui had sent him the fresh meat to break in. A smirk made its way onto his face. Kanda was in a good mood. The Finder flinched again, as if sensing the impending danger.

Kanda had been in a good mood, though. Which was a rare occurrence. True, he got irritated easily, as usual, but he felt good. Satisfied. He had killed around ten Akuma in Paris, gotten a massage (one more thing that Lavi will never find out), and then, he had slept in a, surprisingly comfortable, bed like a baby. Sasha had woken him up after a couple of hours as he had instructed her (maybe six), just in time to make the train. He had done it in his usual fashion, jumping on top of the moving thing, unlike last time. The girl had insisted to come see him off. She was strange, that was for sure. She actually seemed comfortable around him. She tried to interpret his grunts of annoyance (sometimes even speaking like she was two people, which annoyed the hell out of Kanda) and she carefully watched his body language. The samurai had actually gotten used to her presence. She wasn't invading, bugging him with irrelevant things. Sasha did as he asked, without questioning him, without irritating him. But, she wasn't weak. She had her own opinion. She had her own fire. She was a contradiction. She was broken, Kanda realized. She was intriguing.

Kanda liked her.

The thought flashed through his mind and the Exorcist opened his eyes, glaring (the young Finder flinched). He truly liked her. Well, as much as Kanda could like someone. He liked Tiedoll. The man was gentle, honest and scatterbrained. He had taken in Kanda when the boy had been alone. He had given him parental love. He had treated him, and still called him, a son. Tiedoll had given him his name. He became Kanda, not just Yuu, the Second Exorcist project. It was puzzling. Kanda liked Marie. The man was quiet, soft-spoken and kind. Marie was strong, yet fragile, in his own way. He had accepted Kanda when the boy had still been in shambles, fighting his own demons in the Second Laboratory. He had recognized him later and hadn't changed his opinion, despite knowing Kanda's past. Marie had been kind. Kanda liked Lenalee. The girl had given him a home. She had welcomed him with open arms and she still tried to make him connect to the others. She had given so much to him, even though she had so little. She had been generous.

Kanda knew that he liked broken people. They gave him comfort, as he, too, was broken. The most broken people tended to be the most honest people, in Kanda's experience. After experiencing so much, you either go crazy or you become kind, transparent. The samurai had known, by instinct, that Sasha was one of those people. After spending time with her, he was sure. She had been broken, and was picking up the pieces. Kanda could appreciate that. Silently. He remembered the way that she unconsciously looped their arms whenever they walked together. She always talked. Like a little chatterbox. But, her stories had been interesting. Kanda will never admit that he had actually listened to most of them. He had heard about the brothel and the girls in it. Sasha had told him about the Madam and her kindness. She had told him about the dance nights (that were just magical in her opinion) and she had spoken about the occasional trip that the Madam would let them take. Sasha talked faster than Lenalee ever had. Frankly, it had been irritating. However, the girl seemed to have developed an immunity to Kanda's glare, so he couldn't find a way to make her go quiet. Now, sitting in the compartment with the young Finder, Kanda found it strangely silent. He leaned his head back and tried to drift off. He needed a few more hours of sleep.

Hopefully, the rest would make those blue eyes vanish from his mind and force some gruesome image or the other to take their place.

Sasha giggled, allowing the man's hand to reach further into her dress. His stubby fingers brushed against the inside of her thigh and she suppressed a shudder. She hated it. She hated this part of the job. The girls, the dancing, the Madam's share, the late nights, the insults. She could take it all. But, she couldn't stand this. The sleazy men reaching up her dress, with only one thing in mind. However, this was all she had. She had nothing else to sell.

Without family, without relatives, without friends, without possessions. Sasha did what she could. She got by. She scrubbed herself raw every morning and told herself that it was only for a few more weeks. Just until she got the money to get a place and a decent job. Just until. But, not even she believed those words anymore.

It was a man's world that Sasha lived in, and she knew it. Her sharp tongue couldn't get her out of the gender inequality. She was just a woman. No, she wasn't even a woman. She was a child, a little girl, alone in a man's world. She couldn't get a job. She wasn't reliable, after all. She couldn't live on her own. She wasn't reliable, after all. She couldn't go to school. It wasn't appropriate for women of her social standing to go. She couldn't have an opinion, because she was a woman. She had two choices: find a man to marry, or become a working girl. She had chosen the latter.

Why? She could've found a good man and married him. Had his children. Cleaned his house. Been a trophy wife. Lived and died of old age. But, Sasha didn't want that. Before the Madam had taken her in, she had been a street kid. An urchin, fighting for survival every day. She had travelled from place to place on the back of the train, illegally, without sleeping for days. She had learned languages by landing in different countries, without anyone to help her. She had stolen from mothers with children to survive. She had fought for her life on the street and won. She couldn't choose to serve a man. She couldn't choose to abandon her free will and become a baby oven. She wouldn't.

So, Sasha chose to, instead, service those same men in a brothel. She was a whore. She was disgusted by the dirty touches on her skin, but she was never ashamed of herself. After all, she still had her fire. She was still untamed, even if she was used. She was still that same street urchin that dug through garbage just to eat. She was still Sasha, and she was alive. That was all that mattered.

The man finally reached her underwear and she pulled away with a few gentle words, leaving for more champagne. She wouldn't return to him. Some other girl would sit next to him, and he would forget all about her in seconds. Sasha had a deal with the Madam. She lent the woman her language and people skills for money. If she chose to service a man in bed, she would do it. But, that wasn't her primary way of getting money. She was more useful mediating. That Exorcist had been a huge money loss. She had serviced him, been his guide and interpreter. She had abandoned her work, losing a lot of money, for him. True, the Madam had requested that she do so, but he was still a loss. She was behind on her share of the money that was given to the Madam, and Sasha knew it. She had slept with a couple of men in order to catch up, but she was still late. The zeros were piling up, and unless she figured a way to get them down to only one, she was screwed. The Madam would let her go or make her earn it in another way.

Yes, the woman was good to them. But, she was a businesswoman. She couldn't take big losses. If you didn't earn, you were no good to her. Sasha remembered when Annette had been pregnant. The woman had fallen behind on the payment and had to participate in the fetish rooms and orgies to make it up. Sasha didn't think that she could do that. She could still remember Annette all black and blue after an S&M session. No, she couldn't.

Sasha grabbed a bottle of champagne from the back of the counter and opened it. She drank straight from the bottle, not pausing. After a while, she lowered it onto the counter with a clank. She had gaged the distance wrong. Her fingertips were tingling and her head felt airy, like she could take flight at any moment. Good. She couldn't do this sober. Sasha headed back to the couches. Sure enough, the short man that she had been entertaining was gone, already serviced. A pang of annoyance flashed through Sasha's head. She didn't want to woo another one. She just wanted to get this over with. She needed the money.

A gentlemen from the corner smiled at her and Sasha felt the corners of her mouth pull up on instinct. Show time.

Kanda was pissed. Then again, Kanda was always pissed. But, this was ridiculous. His good mood had been completely obliterated. He had gotten there, to Portugal, only to get stonewalled. Apparently, the Finder hadn't prepped the Mayor on their situation. Kanda had ended up leaving (his negotiations involved Mugen) empty handed. He didn't have the permission of the town, but he still wanted to see the infamous healer. He had heard bits and pieces about the Curandeiras. They were healers, mostly women, but there were some men, too. They considered their healing touch a gift from God, and it was supposedly passed down the family line. They were holy men and women, held in high regard, despite the pagan nature of their healing rituals.

Kanda snorted to himself, causing the Finder to flinch. For the love of God, he couldn't remember the shaky thing's name. Well, he hadn't really tried to remember it either. Kanda didn't see anything special in Finders. This one was just like any other. And he would probably get killed and then another will come along. That's the circle of life.

"Exorcist-sama, shall we rent a room here? While we investigate further?" The Finder asked, catching up to Kanda's swift steps. The Exorcist gave him a glare, causing another flinch. What a joke. This useless man was not only useless, but he couldn't even do his job. Hell, he expected Kanda to do his job for him. Great. Just great. A scowl spread on Kanda's face as he sighted an inn. Good.

"This way." He ordered the Finder before the man could turn down an alley. Kanda marched on, not really looking if the newbie was following or not. He was getting beyond pissed now. The wound on his shoulder ached uncomfortably. Maybe he should've accepted those bandages from Sasha.

Curious, blue eyes flashed in his vision and Kanda growled. The Finder jumped a bit, but didn't comment. He was a bit too scared to comment. Kanda, on the other hand, was annoyed at himself. The girl had merely been a passing whore. She had been an insignificant persona in his life. One that he shouldn't have remembered. Like so many of the others. He had found that not remembering made it hurt less when they were gone. He had found a way to deal with the horrible pain. Just, don't let it get to you. Just, don't let them exist. Sasha was no different from all those Finders and humans that had died. Sasha was no different from all those people who had called upon the Earl to turn them into an Akuma. Sasha was no different than all of those that he had long forgotten.

No. She was different. She was Sasha. The prostitute named Sasha. She wasn't unnamed and forgotten. She was real. Painfully real. And, she was haunting his mind.

Kanda grunted and slammed the door of the inn open, announcing his presence. The man behind the counter looked at the angry Exorcist with a surprised face. Kanda reached behind himself and grabbed the Finder by his coat. He pushed the young man forward, growling through his teeth.

"Tell him that we need lodging."

The young Finder started stumbling through his Portuguese and Kanda snorted. Great. The Order sends him a newbie that doesn't know how to do his job. And then, he finds out that the newbie is also defective. Doesn't even know the language of the country that he was going to. He briefly wondered if Sasha knew Portuguese. She had told him about her trips here and there. He never did find out where she had originally come from. No. Get the cheeky whore out of your head, Kanda told himself.

"H-he says that you need to call in advance for rooms here, Exorcist-sama." The Finder stuttered. Kanda's glare was positively murderous. The young man flinched away from the angry samurai.

"What?" Kanda barked. His hand flew to the hilt of Mugen on his back. That was it. He was done. Time to finish this the usual way. In Kanda's experience the language barrier was a rather weak one. You merely had to yell loud enough and have a sharp object that you aren't afraid to use. A grin spread on Kanda's face. He would have no mercy. Everything had piled up. He was just going to let loose for a bit.

"Yuu!" A very familiar and irritating voice came from Kanda's left. "You can't just threaten everyone!" Kanda turned to the source of his further annoyance. Sure enough, there was Lavi, the Stupid Rabbit, and his usual companion, Bookman (they somehow always went together everywhere and it annoyed the hell out of Kanda).

The samurai frowned as the Exorcists neared him. "Don't call me by my first name." He growled at Lavi. The redhead merely grinned, unbothered by the murderous intent.

"We saved you the rooms, Yuu. Even though you were supposed to arrive yesterday." Lavi continued, not even looking at the blade that Kanda had drawn. The Finder retreated towards Bookman, searching protection from the soon-to-be-rampaging samurai. "Can't help it if you ran into Akuma in France." Lavi caught his chin with his fingers, thoughtful. "Why did you even go to France first? There was no need for a connecting train."

Nosy Stupid Rabbit. "Tch." Kanda chose to evade the question and slashed his blade through the air at Lavi. The redhead jumped back, much to the samurai's amusement. Kanda slid Mugen back into its sheath and extended a hand to Lavi. The redhead grasped it in a handshake, causing Kanda's glare to go positively icy.

"What?"

"Key."

"France, Yuu?"

"I'll kill you!" Kanda gave chase after the fleeing redhead, weapon drawn once more. Lavi was quick, though (much to Kanda's disappointment), and he evaded the first couple of slashes swiftly. Maybe it was the years of him and Kanda chasing each other that made him so nimble?

"Calm down, Yuu!" Lavi flailed around, dodging. "I'll give you the key! Calm down! There's no need for violence, Yuu!" The redhead squeaked when Mugen slashed right next to his ear and then stilled as Kanda pressed the cold blade against his cheek. "Yuu?" Lavi questioned when the samurai was silent for a while. The longhaired man then opened his eyes further, showing the murderous intent clearly. He could feel the Finder flinching in the background. Lavi's eyes widened. He could feel the danger. He could feel Kanda's anger electrifying the air.

"Don't call me by my first name!" The samurai finally snapped and swung his sword horizontally, attempting to take the redhead's head off.

Bookman poured tea for the, finally calm (which the old man was very happy about), group. Kanda snorted at the tea, but upon further inspection, decided that he didn't mind it. Lavi was seated across from the angry samurai, thankfully intact. The young Finder that had met up with Kanda on the border of Spain and France, named Benjamin (idiotic newbie, in Kanda's opinion), was sitting next to the swordsman (and neither was too happy about it). Bookman lowered himself beside the only other Finder in the group, a middle aged man, all wrapped up in bandages. Kanda knew him. His name was Toma (wrapped bastard, in Kanda language).

"So, now that we are all gathered, can we begin?" Lavi grinned, his leg jumping up and down under the table. He was impatient and wanted to start the mission already. The Curandeiras were a mystery waiting to be uncovered. He couldn't wait to write something new in the books for a change. He somehow always seemed to read about different things. He read about what happened and what Bookman had experienced, but he hadn't had a chance to put a lot of things into the books himself.

Bookman sighed. "Patience, Lavi." He scolded in a flat voice and drank some tea. The redhead forced his leg to be still, but he didn't touch his cup. A clang was heard from across the table and Lavi's eyes snapped forward. Kanda looked pissed. Then again, Kanda always looked pissed. He had released Mugen and left it on the table, sheathed. The samurai next drank some tea, attempting to calm himself down. Somehow, whenever he relaxed, his thoughts would drift. Unfortunately, they always seemed to be occupied by a pair of bright, baby blue eyes. He hated it, so he focused on his anger. The irritation always helped him push away meaningless thoughts.

"Well, we don't know if the man is an Accommodator or not yet." Lavi said, fidgeting. Kanda focused on the Stupid Rabbit. It wasn't a hard thing to do. Just looking at the redhead made his blood boil. Irritating man.

"True. But, we haven't really had a chance to be close enough to determine that." Toma picked up easily. "The man is kept in the holy part of the city and they aren't allowing us to meet with him." Kanda snorted. He knew a way out of that problem. "I've done some investigating and gathered that his 'gift from God' has been passed down through his family. However the healer, Santos, is the first one in the family to become so famous in his craft."

"Che." Kanda commented, causing Toma to stop.

"What do you think, Yuu?" Lavi asked.

"We've all read the file, no need for repeats." Kanda glared across the table. "Call me by my first name once more and I will slice you up, Baka Usagi." Lavi smiled, safe because of the distance. Benjamin the Finder, however, jumped a bit, cowering in his chair. He was a bit too close to Kanda for his comfort.

"Don't be so mean, Yuu. Benji hasn't heard all the information!" Lavi whined childishly. Kanda gave him another glare. Benjamin leaned away from the samurai. Bookman cleared his throat. The old man had known that this group was going to be a problem.

"Che." Kanda countered. "He should've read it on the way here." The samurai's murderous stare moved to the Finder in question. The young man cowered.

"I'm sure that he couldn't really understand the file. It's his first mission, Yuu. You could've been more helpful." Lavi shot back readily. Bookman sipped his tea, ignoring the bickering duo. They weren't going anywhere for a while anyways. The Mayor wasn't letting them, the outsiders, into the holy quarter, hence, they couldn't investigate the case. He could allow the children to bicker for a while.

"It's not my fault that the idiotic newbie doesn't understand the file. It's not like he's going to live long to need the knowledge anyway. So, why should I even bother?" The samurai bit out angrily.

"Kanda!" Bookman interjected. The Exorcist had gone a bit too far.

"Che." Kanda looked to the Finder in question. He didn't really care what the young man had to say. Kanda had just expressed his opinion. He had that right. However, the look on the Finder's face made his stomach flip with guilt. The young man looked about ready to cry. Weak, Kanda thought. He pushed away from the table and stood, picking up his Mugen.

"The fact that you can't accept the truth is pathetic. You make my tea taste bad." With that, he left. Kanda caught Lavi's next words though. The Stupid Rabbit had apologized for the samurai's behavior. What a joke.

Kanda slammed the inn door behind himself. He was pissed. Weak people pissed him off. Finders pissed him off. Especially this one. The greenhorn didn't understand his job description. He didn't understand that at the end of the line, there was only one thing waiting for him. Death. Sooner or later it came for all of them. It was an inevitable thing. Especially for Finders. They weren't special. They were irrelevant. And Kanda. Kanda, too, was going to die. Today, tomorrow, someday for sure. He would die, too. And he wasn't going to let the dead follow him through his life, until he, too, was one of them. He would prefer to forget their names and faces. He already had enough ghosts on his conscience. He would be damned if he didn't find that woman, that ghost which kept him alive, before he died.

The ground shook beneath Kanda's feet. He stopped in his tracks, listening.

"Che." He exclaimed, hearing a telltale explosion. Damn Akuma. Mugen drawn, Kanda ran towards the sound, evading the people that were running away from the scene. He saw the blasts first. The purple and pink light shone as the Level Ones shot at the fleeing crowd. Kanda gripped his sword and took a leap up some crates. He landed on one of the roofs and kept running without pausing. He could feel his strained leg muscles healing as he did. Where was the Stupid Rabbit now?

Kanda reached the edge of the roof and timed his jump just right. Soon, he was flying down at the unsuspecting Level One, Mugen held high. A woman's scream rang through his head as he slashed down, crystal blue eyes the only thing in his vision.

A woman's scream rang out through the room as she trashed on the bed. The door to the room slammed open and another woman entered, tightening the navy silk robe around her to keep warm. She ran to the bed in a practiced motion and sat down, grabbing the flailing girl.

"Sasha! Sasha!" The brunette yelled, her curls jumping across her shoulders as the sleeping girl struggled. "Reveille-toi! Sasha!" She managed to shake the girl at some point and Sasha shot up, gasping. The screaming stopped.

Sasha's blue eyes were wide, terrified, looking around the room. She focused on the other woman, panting and shaking. "Annette." The blonde spoke. "_I'm awake. I'm fine._" The girl spoke in French. The young mother pulled Sasha in for a hug, rocking her gently. She rubbed the girl's back, comforting her. Slowly, Sasha stopped shaking.

"_You're not fine. But, you will be. We all have bad dreams, Sasha._" Annette soothed, noticing that the girl was calming down. Sasha suddenly froze. However, she relaxed again and gave a tiny nod.

"_Sorry I woke you._" She mumbled into Annette's shoulder. The older woman chuckled.

"_It's quite alright._" Slowly, Sasha pushed away, trying not to be rude. Annette gave her one more smile and then left, heading back to her bedroom. Once the door closed Sasha sighed. Her body relaxed and her smile fell. The girl pushed herself up and off the bed and then headed to the small closet in the corner. She ignored the way goose bumps appeared all over her body from the cold. She must've left the window partially open. The warm, wool nightgown (in royal green) reached her knees and had long sleeves. The cold didn't bother her too much. She needed something else.

The wooden door creaked when Sasha opened the closet. She rummaged through the dresses and skirts and dug out what she needed. When Sasha returned to her bed, she was carrying a small bundle in her arms. She slid under her blanket and pulled it up to her waist. Then, she spread the bundle, revealing the white scarf with green and gold carriage embroidery on the ends, and threw it around her shoulders. She pulled the soft material tight around her shoulders. The familiar smell flew into her nose and she gave a small smile.

It was the scent of fresh snow and daffodils. It reminded her of home. Sasha took another deep breath, pressing the fabric to her nose. She smiled to herself. The tremors were gone. She was fine now.

This wasn't the first night that she had woken up like this. It wasn't the first time she had shot up in bed, screaming. The horrible face was burned into the darkness that came whenever she closed her eyes. Those sad, haunting eyes were always waiting for her. She couldn't force the face away. She couldn't un-see the dark star in the middle of the monster's forehead. She just couldn't un-see the damn thing.

The Akuma that she had seen with the Exorcist wasn't the first one that she had faced. No, Sasha had seen those demons before. Not only during her travels, but back home, too, she had seen them. They came, seemingly out of nowhere, and they killed and killed. They spread pain, anguish and grief wherever they went. And they terrified Sasha.

She had learned how to defend herself on the street. She had learned how to kick and punch and survive. She had learned how to steal and climb. She had learned how to sleep with one eye open and how to walk soundlessly across rooftops. She had learned a lot. However, she could never learn how to get away from those damned things. She could never learn how to kill them. She could never learn how to be free of her fear. She knew that, any day, she could become that accidental hit on the street. She knew that she could die, vanish into dust, like the rest of their victims. And there wouldn't really be anyone to remember her.

People didn't die when they were killed. They died when they were forgotten.

Sasha didn't forget. She still tried to remember every single person that she had met in her life, good or bad. One of them could be out there, somewhere, dead and cold. She would remember. She wouldn't forget. She would carry them on. She was a survivor, after all. She had survived it all.

All except those demons. She didn't know how to face those. They followed her into her sleep almost every day. They had haunted her since she could remember. They were her greatest fear.

But, this man had come along, Yuu Kanda. The Exorcist. The Exorcist of the Black Order. A man from a Church that cursed like a sailor. Sasha had gone to church back in the day. She had believed in God. She had prayed. How could a man, employed by a church be so foul mouthed? So ill tempered? So prone to violence? She didn't know. But, she had seen the other side of him. She had seen the moment when he slayed the demon. The expression on his face was one of relief, like he was finally at peace as he sent the demon on its way. The Exorcist was a true mystery.

He was unnaturally stunning. True, he was handsome on the outside, girlish looking, even. But, he was beautiful on the inside. Sasha knew. She was good at reading people. Her life on the street had taught her. If you don't read someone correctly, they could kill you tomorrow. She had seen the way he interacted with people, the way he pushed them all away with anger and threats. She could see past that. On the inside, he was vulnerable. He relied on instinct and pushed the painful things away.

He was beautifully broken, just like her.

**That's all folks!**

**I actually had less trouble writing Kanda then writing Sasha. Anyways, I hope you like her, I'm trying to portray how her past and present is, not make her a Mary Sue. Simply, the end of the 19****th**** century wasn't too good to common people (or even some nobles) and I'm trying to paint that. I suppose that I'm using 'The House of Tolerance' as an inspiration a lot.**

**Peniche is an actual place in Portugal, I've never been, I merely chose it for the mission location :P I have no idea if it even existed in the 19****th**** century xD Also, the information about Curandeiras is from the web, it seemed very interesting, so I tried to use it :)**

**Review:**

**karina001: He definitely could. When we sum it all up, Kanda is a right drama queen sometimes xD He just needs some loving, but you have to be careful of the teeth (errrr blade) hahahaha Hope you enjoyed!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Aloha! Enjoy peeps!**

**In which Kanda's world goes silent…**

Kanda made quick work of the Level Ones. They weren't a problem for him. However, he could feel the wound on his shoulder stinging. He stifled a groan and walked on, heading towards the other explosions in the town. He had thought that he would be fine with the wound just closed. The healing was getting weaker and weaker. It was terribly annoying. Another blast came from the holy quarter and Kanda sped up. He wanted to get this over with. He wanted to sit in the bath for a while and just relax.

That would have to wait, though. One of the tall towers in Kanda's vision suddenly bent to the left and then went down, creating a cloud of smoke. The Exorcist almost gave a groan, but he sped up anyways. His legs were hurting. He had overdone it. The moon was high in the sky, lighting the old streets and alleys, so Kanda didn't have a lot of problems finding his way. The blood in his veins was singing, excited by the Akuma that were awaiting him. Mugen was almost pulsing in his grip. The Innocence knew that its enemies were close. It couldn't wait to free the trapped souls and send them on their way. The hunt was always a thrill for Kanda. The fight was a time when he truly felt alive.

The samurai rounded a corner and came to a stop. The street was empty and silent. Kanda took in the broken windows and the clothes strewn everywhere. The soft sea breeze carried the scent of ash and salt. Kanda grit his teeth, trying to block out the taste in his mouth. He was too late. He hated fighting in an area where it was breezy. His stomach lurched because he knew exactly what he was smelling and tasting. Mugen shined bright in the moonlight and Kanda furrowed his brows, listening. Where was the Akuma?

Muffled blasts rang through the background, but Kanda didn't move. He was the kind of person that trusted their instincts first, and then their senses. And, his blood was boiling, ringing. He couldn't walk away from here. There was still something here. He knew it. A swooshing sound came from behind him and Kanda whirled around just in time to block with his Mugen.

The Akuma was a Level Two. It was strangely shaped (like most Level Twos) and it had blades instead of each arm. One of them Kanda was blocking and the other one soon aimed at the swordsman's head. The Exorcist released an annoyed grunt, but he swiftly dodged. The Akuma may have blades, but it was slow. Well, to Kanda it was. It would've probably kicked Lavi's ass. Kanda smirked at the thought and jumped away, adjusting his grip on the sword.

"Exorcist!" The Akuma yelled, giving chase. Kanda was good at this game, though. Tag was his favorite. He changed directions in a second, cutting off the Level Two's next unintelligent words with his sword. The Akuma gave a bloodcurdling scream, but managed to get away with its life (or undeadedness?). One of the arm-blades clattered to the pavement, oily blood spilling everywhere.

Kanda gave a small laugh. "What good are those if you aren't able to use them?" He taunted the creature. He was tired. Obviously, this thing was stupid. The more he taunted it, the madder it would get and then it would become even more reckless. Killing it would be a walk in the park.

"Exorcist-sama! They sent me to-" Kanda's glare was positively murderous. He just couldn't believe it. He really couldn't. Was this guy an idiot? Or, did he have a death wish? If the Akuma didn't kill him, Kanda would. Yes, he really would.

The young Finder had stopped in his tracks and gone silent. He assessed the situation slowly. Well, too slowly. The Akuma grinned, identifying the weak link and flew at the unsuspecting man. Kanda cursed every single force in the heavens and ran after it. Well, at least the Finder had some sense still left in his idiotic brain cells.

Benjamin ran like hell was on his heels.

"Human! Wait, human!" The Level Two (with really low leveled vocabulary in Kanda's opinion) was grinning and yelling, giving chase. Its, now single (insert Kanda's self-satisfied smirk), blade was swishing left and right, ready to take off the Finder's head.

"Kanda-sama!" Benjamin yelled, running and panting. "I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!" Kanda was briefly confused, but then realized. The Finder was more afraid of him then of the Akuma. The samurai almost laughed. Almost. Well, that might save the young Finder's life in near future. Well, better save the fool, Kanda thought and pushed himself over his already surpassed limits.

Mugen rang through the air as he slashed down, nicking the fleeing Akuma. It screamed once again, the Innocence burning it, and turned to Kanda. Clings and clanks rang out through the air as they battled. Benjamin fell to his knees, exhausted. He watched the two battle it out in a blur of movements. It was amazing. Terrifying. Kanda was amazing. Benjamin had thought the young Exorcist to be all bark and no bite. But, this proved him wrong. The man was a true warrior.

With a loud and resounding clash of metal against metal the two flew apart. The Akuma sloppily slammed into a wall, breaking it down. Kanda, on the other hand, slid back, slowing his momentum with Mugen.

"Tch." The samurai grumbled and coughed. Some blood dribbled down his chin and it was getting more and more painful to breathe. Great. A broken rib, Kanda figured. This was going to be bothersome with his current healing speed. The Exorcist pushed himself up, ignoring the pain in his injuries, old and new. He was going to take a break after this. No missions. Just baths and sleep and one of those head massages. No, no head massages. Fuck Sasha and her magic. She had done something to him, that cheeky whore.

The annoying newbie was saying something. Kanda couldn't hear it though. There was that annoying high C note ringing in his ears. Damn. He hadn't noticed that one. He had been too focused on the task in front of him. Kanda noticed the newbie coming closer, his lips still moving. The Finder was attempting to help him stay on his feet. When had he gone down to his knees? He didn't remember. All he could see was the ugly, lime colored Akuma with a single sharp blade on its limb. And it was getting up.

Kanda pushed the Finder away with a snort of anger. The dumb thing was getting in his way. He couldn't feel anything except his Innocence in his hand. It was hot, ringing, calling to the Akuma. He hadn't even felt the Finder's grip on his arm once more. No, he was merely feeling the blood boiling in his veins. He was ready.

The bladed Akuma flew at him, its mouth open. It was yelling, Kanda realized, but he couldn't hear it. Mugen flew up, receiving the attack skillfully. Kanda trembled a bit under the mere force of the strike. The Akuma wasn't that strong. But, he was injured and healing slowly. He was also the one receiving the blows. And, Kanda knew one thing. The best defense was a good offense.

Mugen slashed through the air once, twice and then a squelching sound rang out through the night air. Kanda watched as the Akuma exploded with a calm face. He was panting hard. His vision was swimming and getting blurrier by the minute. Kanda's head pounded as white and black spots appeared where they shouldn't be. A couple of blinks later, they were still multiplying and Kanda was getting annoyingly dizzy. His body was numb. At some point, he noticed that the scenery had changed. He wasn't looking at the same broken buildings. Now, they were strangely on the side. Like the world had been flipped. But, Kanda didn't care anymore. He just wanted to sleep. Sleep and forget it all.

Sasha didn't sleep after the nightmares. She couldn't. She had managed to get out of bed, despite her fatigue, and get a quick shower. Monday night. That was the only night when the girls didn't work full time. Sure, some stayed and did their business. But, most went to see their families or they went to spend their money somewhere. Sasha did neither.

She had no family to go visit. Well, no close family. They had been killed a while back. Sasha had been young and naive then. She had led a good life, fairly sheltered. The things that she feared were the demons even back then. They were famous, after all. Fully obliterated towns and villages didn't go unnoticed. The Government of each country was well informed about the Earl and his ways. The Black Order was a well-funded and very famous institution, too. Where else would they get all that money then from the scared Governments attempting to prevent worldwide panic?

Sasha's father had been a man on a high position. He had been informed about the not-so-secret war between Akuma and Exorcists. And the blonde. Well, let's just say that she had been a very adventurous child. She had that knack for climbing things and finding nooks and crannies to hide in. It was on one of those days when she had been playing hide-and-seek by herself that she had heard more that she had bargained for. Pretty soon, the pictures that her father had shown to the room of men followed her into her dreams. She would wake up, screaming, terrified. She never told her sisters and mother what she had overheard. She couldn't really talk to her father either. Then, she would've been admitting to eavesdropping and that would've gotten her spanked. No, she had borne her cross alone.

Sasha had learned to live with her night terrors. Sometimes, they were bad. Horrible, leaving her scared of her own shadow during the day. And sometimes, she would go for months without dreaming about them. It was not like she saw those demons every day. No, the first time she saw them was in this strange little town in a Balkan country. They had come to take down an ancient church whose protector saint supposedly bled holy liquid, even after years of being dead.

Sasha had simply been at the wrong place at the wrong time. The monsters had come, destroying everything in their path. People had screamed and run around, as if headless, and children had cried for their mothers in the street. Sasha will never get those images out of her head. Sure, she had seen much worse, but this was just one of those images that you couldn't leave behind.

It was strange to the girl, how some people didn't even understand what Akuma were. She thought that if more people knew about their existence and origin, less demons would be made. Then again, she didn't really know the details. Sasha understood that there was a man that made those demons, for an unknown purpose. She had overheard that the Akuma were made from people grieving over their loved ones deaths. And, she knew that those creatures could never be undone, returning the original body owner to this world. Essentially, two people got killed to make a very miserable existence that lives to murder.

True, Sasha had considered bringing back her dear ones. Her precious family. Her elder sisters. She had loved all three of them dearly. Her mother, the kindest woman she ever knew. Her father, an honorable man, looking to do good in the world. And her dear little brother. She had been close to him. They had been the youngest in the family, hence, they had looked out for each other. Well, she had mostly looked out for him. Her brother had been terribly sick. Her mother hadn't wanted him to go out much, fearing that he would get hurt and suffer a terrible fate. He had been the sole heir of their family, after all. A single son after four daughters. He had been the precious baby of the family. Sasha still remembered climbing different trees to amuse her brother. She used to go up and refuse to get down, causing mayhem. The little boy had loved it. Of course, more than once, she got scolded and punished, but she still did it again. She had also played tricks on the guards and servants. She had pranked their visiting relatives and made smart comments any time she got. Sasha had loved the joy that would light her little brother's eyes whenever she did such things. Her mother had been adamant about disciplining it out of her at first. But, she had seen later what it did to help the bedridden boy. Her youngest child had reveled in each prank, so, after a while, the mother had allowed it (within limits, of course).

So, yes, Sasha missed her family. A lot. She hated how with time, their faces vanished slowly from her memory. She took out the single picture of them more than once a day. Just to see them. Just to remind herself. To see how much she resembled her siblings. Just to be at home, from time to time. She missed them. But, she wouldn't die for them, no matter how cruel that sounded. If she ever did choose to bring one back, as an Akuma, they would all be furious. No. They were dead. And the dead are supposed to stay that way. She wasn't God. She wouldn't dare tamper with such final things as life and death. They were there for a reason. That was one law that applied to all equally. They were all going to die.

Sasha had faced her mortality. She knew that life was fleeting and fragile. She was supposed to die with her family, after all. It had been a miracle that she had survived. In fact, most people still believed her dead. That's how it was supposed to be. She had been freed from one future by that tragedy, and now, she had a new shot at life. And here she was, trying to make it. She had become a prostitute and a thief. Her mother would've been ashamed.

Sasha snorted, banishing her thoughts. She buttoned up her coat and headed downstairs. After a small wave and goodbye to Annette (who was feeding her child on one of the couches) the blonde headed out. The cold was biting, despite the fact that the winter was almost over. Sasha didn't mind the cold. She had experienced the coldest of winters, after all. She liked the snow. It was so white, pure, sparkling and innocent. Snow reminded her of her childhood. The smell brought a smile to her face, taking her to the many snowball fights that she had had. Maybe that was why she loved that white scarf so much. It smelled like snow and daffodils.

She remembered the day that she had gotten it. Her mother had insisted that Sasha and her sisters learn how to cook, clean and sow. Even though her family was of high standing, she had grown up learning how to be a commoner and getting an education of a noblewoman. Sowing, knitting and embroidery had been a big part of Sasha's life. She had been horrible at it at first. She didn't have the necessary patience for such things. But, the beautiful golden and green carriages had been her first success. Sasha had found the pure white piece of fabric while playing in the snow one day. She had carried it home with her (much to her mother's displeasure) and then she had washed the dirty thing. After much grooming, her mother let the girl keep the runaway piece of fabric. The woman had seen a dirty, old, smelly rag in the beginning, but Sasha had managed to get it to become a pure white, soft and warm piece of fabric. There was no harm in letting the girl keep it. But, Sasha didn't stop there. She put all her pranks to a stop and made the piece of fabric into a long scarf. She then proceeded to stitch a beautiful design of horseless carriages into it, much to her mother's surprise. From there on, the scarf had been a favorite of the five siblings. They all bickered about who was going to wear it and when.

In the end, she had never left her scarf behind. That was one of the last mementos that she had of her home country and her family.

Kanda slowly came to. His first instinct was to take in his surroundings. He kept his eyes closed and concentrated on the smells. There was a fresh, flowery note in the air along with some kind of food. Soup, Kanda guessed after a while. However, he couldn't hear a thing. That was strange. He was very receptive to sound. He was a trained swordsman. He needed to pick up the most silent of sounds as quickly as possible. They would (more often than sometimes) determine if he lived or died. But, there were none. He couldn't hear a damn thing.

Kanda felt his heart rate quicken and his breaths become short and ragged and then, his eyes shot open. The first thing that he saw was a pair of blue orbs, looking at him, waiting. His first reaction was to bring his weapon down on the person invading his personal bubble, but, he stopped. He remembered those eyes. The blue eyes that haunted him. He froze, heart and lungs going suddenly deathly calm.

She couldn't be here.

Kanda moved in a flash. He grasped the body leaned over him and flipped their positions. The scared Finder (now below him) stared up, waiting for Kanda to do something. The samurai merely kept his forearm at the young man's throat, panting and looking around, taking in the situation (spotting Mugen on the nightstand). The Finder's ears were moving, but Kanda couldn't hear a thing. Nothing. There was no sound. He could feel his old and new wounds stinging, hurting, but, he couldn't hear a damn thing. Fuck, Kanda thought, not really paying any attention to the man who he was holding pinned to the bed.

Then, there were arms grabbing his biceps and shoulders, dragging him back. Damn. He hadn't even noticed them come in. The Stupid Rabbit was ranting something, his mouth never stopped moving. Bookman, on the other hand, stayed silent. But, he did push Kanda down to the bed (once Lavi helped Benjamin escape the angry Exorcist), quite adamantly, too. One look at the old man told Kanda that he would not be wriggling out of this one so easily. Bookman gave him a meaningful glance and the samurai stayed down (much to everyone's amusement). He asked Kanda something and gave him another meaningful look when the man stayed silent.

"Che." Kanda exclaimed with practiced ease. He saw the Stupid Rabbit relax, saying something. Well, it wouldn't do good not to bring them up to speed on things, Kanda thought. "I can't hear a damn thing you're saying." The samurai clarified (and by the way they all flinched, he had been a bit too loud). Suddenly, Lavi was in his face, waving his hand around. Kanda gave him a death glare. "I'm not blind, Baka Usagi. I just can't hear anything." He pushed through his grit teeth icily, enjoying the way Lavi froze and backed away. Bookman hit the back of the redhead's head, saying something.

Then, it got pretty boring for Kanda. The two other Exorcists in the room were discussing something (probably his current state) and Toma joined them, too (he had come in a while back). Kanda gave up trying to read their lips. Well, at least the Stupid Rabbit had an arm in a sling. Kanda felt a rush of approval. He wasn't the only one injured. Briefly, he wondered if he had been the only one fighting against a Level Two. Probably, Kanda figured.

A gentle arm touched his shoulder and Kanda whirled his head to the side, ready to scold the cheeky whore about her touchy-feely ways. However, he didn't meet Sasha's bright blue eyes. These were a bit darker, but also a sky color. Yes, he had mistaken the annoying newbie for the cheeky whore at first. Kanda blamed it on his just-woke-up state. He glared at the Finder. The man looked determent, though, even though he gave a small shudder. He pushed something at Kanda that looked suspiciously like soup. Yes, he could smell it. But, the stubborn samurai didn't want the soup. He ate soba. He liked his soba. There was no need to eat the stupid soup. So, he turned his head away from the Finder, showing that he didn't want that.

Lavi and Bookman seemed to be arguing, and then the elder hit his successor over the head. Kanda snorted in amusement. He had always kind of liked the short old man. Especially when he hit the Stupid Rabbit. Suddenly, the young Finder beside Kanda stepped into the middle of the argument, yelling something. By the shocked faces in the room, he was stepping way out of line. A couple of tense moments passed before Bookman said something and then all of them except the newbie left. Kanda wasn't too happy about his (he wanted to be left alone), but he would live. The little thing was scared of him, after all.

However, the Finder sat on the edge of the bed and forced a bowl of soup into Kanda's hand. He didn't even flinch at the glare. The young Finder grabbed a pen and a note pad from the nightstand and started scribbling something quickly. When he was done, he looked up only to give Kanda his own glare because the soup was still untouched. The samurai felt a chill go down his spine. He raised the bowl to his lips and drank a little sip. Then another and another. He decided that he quite liked the soup.

When he looked back at the Finder, the man was smiling happily. He turned the pad around, showing Kanda the message. The samurai was a bit surprised to find it in simple Japanese hiragana, but he red it none the less. The grammar was a bit clumsy, but he got the meaning just fine.

**Good, isn't it?**

"Che." Kanda answered, not hearing his own voice. The damn Finder wanted him to praise the cooking. That was not happening. Ever.

**How are you feeling?**

Was the next message. Kanda glared at the text for a moment. He sipped some more soup and then gave a small nod of his head. He would be fine soon. The Finder seemed satisfied with the answer, because he started scribbling once again.

**You killed the Akuma, but you collapsed after that. It must have been the new and old wounds taking their toll on you. The Akuma had a poison in its blades, too. That's probably why you still can't hear. I couldn't for a while, either. But, you've been treated, it should go away soon enough.**

That made sense, Kanda figured. He took one more sip of the soup and was surprise when a piece of carrot hit his lips. He saw the Finder laugh at the face that he made and growled (even though his neck was slowly going red). The newbie wrote something again.

**The mission was a success. We have retrieved an Accommodator with his Innocence.**

Kanda's eyebrows shot up. He looked at the Finder with curious eyes, encouraging more information. The young Finder ripped the page away and scribbled again.

**Santos is a nice man. He has a parasitic Innocence in his fingers which allows him to 'reject' things such as injuries, bad energy or fatigue even. It takes a great toll on him to use it, so he mostly relies on pagan healing taught to him by his ancestors.**

Kanda read and gave a snort. Fascinating. A new one. There would be one more annoying bugger at the Order from then on. Like they didn't have enough already.

The rest of the trip was uneventful for Kanda. He couldn't hear, but he most certainly dished out insults left and right. He found out that the reason why he had survived the dangerous poison of the Akuma's blades was because of the young Finder. Apparently his father had been a medicine man and the young man had studied for a while under his old man before joining the Order. He had done everything by the book and minimized the damage of the drug. Frankly, Kanda would've liked being able to hear, but, if the alternative was dying, he was glad that he was alive. His healing always did have problems with more potent poisons, especially in high dosages. It reminded him that he was, in fact, human.

Santos was an annoying bugger indeed. Too honest and helpful. Talked about God nonstop as far as the Exorcist caught. He was glad that the poison had left him temporarily deaf. Kanda had been ordered to take the Accommodator back to Home, while Bookman and Lavi went on another mission straight away. Thankfully, they took Toma with them (Kanda wasn't too fond of the righteous Finder at the moment). However, that meant that the newbie went with him. The train ride had been hell for the grumpy Exorcist. He could see the Finder and the Portuguese healer talking, but he couldn't make out the words. He really should've invested more into his education. But, not everyone can be like Lavi (tons of languages, photographic memory plus lip reading). So, Kanda chilled out for the duration of the ride back. He mostly drifted in and out of sleep, feeling someone's warm touch on his arm, only to wake up and find that it was just a figment of his imagination. It had been surprising to say the least. It had been a long time since Kanda had last seen her amidst the lotuses. And, she had never touched him before. However, it wasn't the gentle scent of the lotus that followed him now. It was something else. Something sweeter. Much more green. Something cold and sweet. He didn't know what it was, but he didn't mind it one bit.

The canal that led to the Order was icy. It was snowing outside and the water was positively freezing. Kanda had huddled into the middle of the boat skillfully, leaving the Finder to row and the newbie healer to look around in wonder. The samurai's breath fogged as soon as it left his mouth and he tucked his hands further into his deep coat pockets. They were slowly going numb. The gondola slowed down and then stopped, letting the passengers exit. Kanda was the last to get off and he headed towards the warmth of the inside right away.

"Welcome home, Kanda-kun." Komui spoke as soon as Kanda burst into the building and the samurai successfully read the man's lips. The Supervisor was waiting for the new Exorcist to welcome him. Kanda didn't really want to know (nor did he care), but, he did give the Chinese man a small nod. Kanda respected Komui. True, the Supervisor was an annoying, sister complex, manic man, but, he was also on their side. The Chinese man had never done anything in the area of grey. He always did what was best for the Exorcists and the Finders, while also trying to respect their views and feelings. He treated them all like family, and Kanda respected that. Even though he has been tempted to kill the man many many times. Often rather painfully.

Kanda left in a hurry, leaving the new Exorcist to get acquainted with the crazy Supervisor. Good luck to him, Kanda thought cynically.

**As you can probably see, I'm having a bit of fun with language differences and all that. Hehehe~**

**Also, I know that man is set in the fictional end of the 19****th**** century, but I took some of the historically accurate information from the beginning of the 20****th**** century and used it in this fic. If you can see which, you're welcome to guess. I'm not really going to name the names and all that, I'm just exploring my inspiration.**

**Also, the details about the Balkan country are accurate. I'm talking about an actual saint and about an actual country. So, yeah, I'm done now.**

**Reviews: **

**karina001: Although I did plan for Sasha to become an Exorcist, I don't really think that her seeing Akuma is an indication of her being an Accommodator. It's more of a being at the wrong place at the wrong time, I hope I explained that a bit better in this chapter?**

**I must admit, Kanda/Lavi interaction was a bit risky on my end. I'm better at sarcasm and hate (Kanda style) rather than Lavi's jokes and easygoing attitude. I think I did good with both of them, though :)**

**Yeah, Komui is insane to send the poor guy with Kanda. But, I think the young man can hold his own :D We'll see how it goes hihihi~**

**I was a bit slow on this chapter, but oh well, at least there's an update xD**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you MissMichaelis44 for the alert and fav, I hope that you are enjoying the story :D**

**karina001, all the best :)**

**Enjoy, you silent readers!**

**Chapter 6: In which Kanda suffers from nostalgia…**

It didn't take long for Kanda to get used to his new state. He found that he, in fact, preferred a silent world. Strange. He had thought that such a demise would bother him more. But, he liked not being able to hear the annoying chatter. He had never liked the pointless talk of the people in the cafeteria. They simply couldn't face the inevitable. Most of them were going to die in the war. Kanda wasn't trying to be cruel with his words. No, he was merely honest about his views.

So, now that he couldn't hear a thing, he realized that he could actually go to the cafeteria and not be bothered by their discussions about their brave and/or fallen comrades.

Well, Kanda was in blissful silence 24/7, which was mostly just fine in his opinion. It hadn't been that hard to hide his temporary deafness from everyone. On a nice day, he talked to two or three people maximum. So, since Lenalee was out on a mission and Lavi and Bookman already knew of his condition (not that they were there, anyways), Kanda was partially safe. He had seen Marie that (as soon as he came back) evening (the man had simply known right away that something was wrong) and the blind man had figured out the problem in seconds. Of course, Kanda didn't really worry about Marie telling anyone of the situation. The tall man knew him well. He figured that Kanda was ashamed of his demise and didn't want anyone to know about his temporary weakness.

On the other hand, Komui had been easy to deceive. Kanda simply gave a few 'che's and 'tch's and the Supervisor left him alone. Komui had met Kanda on a bad day one too many times to disregard the clear signs of the samurai's utter irritation. This all went in the Exorcist's favour. There had been only one glitch in his perfect plan. The Head Nurse. The woman was a demon in disguise. She always welcomed Kanda with smiles and open arms, but, he knew what waited behind all that. He had seen the horns practically sprout out of her head many times. Mostly, they had been directed at him.

So, naturally, the woman figured out Kanda's little problem on his third day back home. He had tried to sneak out of the hospital bed and go to the dojo to meditate. However, despite getting used to his new state fairly quickly, Kanda still subconsciously tried to rely on his hearing. It had been one of his primary senses, after all. The Head Nurse had come in just as he was pulling the sweater over his head, hair loose. He didn't turn around or flinch, which made her suspicious.

"Kanda?" She called out, testing her theory. He still didn't turn. A frown marred the woman's face and she walked forward carefully. The Exorcist didn't react. The Head Nurse reached him just as he was pulling his long hair out of the sweater collar. She placed a hand on his shoulder gently and wasn't too surprised when he jumped like he had been shot. Kanda whirled around, only to see the Head Nurse.

"Tch." Busted, he realized. Kanda looked to the side as the Head Nurse started yelling. At some point, she realized that he couldn't hear the lecture and grabbed his head so he would look at her lips. Kanda still swears that he saw the windows shaking from the woman's yelling.

Well, after that adventure, she ordered Kanda to stay in the medical ward where she could monitor his state. He, of course, did for the first couple of days, but then, he skilfully escaped. Most of his time was spent in the meditation part of his dojo. He would sit there for hours, trying to reawaken his hearing. Of course, that didn't happen. But, he still did it. His meals were eaten in silence, mostly alone. Sometimes Marie would join him, but he was also a silent man. Maybe that was why Kanda liked him? Kanda liked silent people. But, it was during those days of silence that the samurai realized just how lonely his existence was. He spent his days alone. He spent his time in silence, waiting for the next mission, for the next quest. And then, he would hit repeat on the movie, and do it all over again. The silence in his ears just made it that more obvious.

It was when Lenalee came back from her mission that Kanda got some semi-permanent company. The Chinese girl would find him, no matter where he went, and then she would write him tons of messages (she had heard from the Head Nurse about his condition, like most of the Order). Kanda didn't mind it. He liked Lenalee, even though she was annoying. She actually cared for him, and that gave her extra points in his eyes.

It was when Daisya returned that Kanda finally snapped and went on a rampage. He was so glad that Daisya and that Stupid Rabbit had never ganged up on him. But, after some threatening, a lot of chasing with Mugen and destroying quite a bit of Order property, Daisya was subdued. Kanda was glad that he was deaf when Komui gave his lecture. It had lasted for about an hour and a half, and it was mostly about 'irresponsibility' and 'reckless endangerment'. Kanda had put an end to it with one word 'Komurin.' Then, he had exited the Supervisor's office with a smirk, leaving everyone slack-jawed and asking about Komurin. Stupid robot. Thankfully, he had destroyed it straight away. Who knows how much damage it would've done. Komui had a tendency to recklessly build crap.

It took a painful week and a half for Kanda to hear a single sound. An annoying one, in his opinion. He had been training, eyes closed, attempting to hone his other senses when a yell (in the real world, merely a whisper in Kanda's) tickled his ear.

"Yuu!" The person yelled again and Kanda felt irritation spiking in him. Yes, he had missed this feeling. He hadn't had as many angry out outbursts as usual during his brief deafness. Maybe because he couldn't hear all the bullshit? He sure hoped that he would stay deaf, then.

"Yuuuuhuuuuu!" Was the next call, but from a different person. Kanda felt his grip on the practice sword tightening, but he didn't react. He swung forwards once more, pretending like he couldn't hear it. He wanted to know what they were going to say next. His left ear was still completely quiet. Annoying. But, since his hearing was reawakening in his right ear, he supposed that the other would soon follow. The young Finder had been right.

"Chopped hair Yuu!" The Stupid Rabbit was back. Kanda didn't manage to supress his reaction to this yell. He felt his vision go red and he closed his eyes, trying to calm down. No, he wouldn't react. He wanted to hear all of it. Yes, then he would chop them up. He would chase them all the way down to the cafeteria and slice them up there. Where everyone could see. Besides, it was easier to clean blood off of tiles then off of the wooden floor of the dojo.

"Are you sure this is safe?" One voice questioned. Yes, you should fear for your lives, Kanda thought.

"Yeah, he can't hear a thing. Deaf as a post." The Stupid Rabbit told everyone. Kanda could imagine the redhead boasting about his new hobby. "This may be the only chance for you to yell at Yuu and get away with it." And then the Stupid Rabbit laughed. Oh, he was last on Kanda's list. He would see all the carnage and imagine it done to him before the samurai chopped him up.

"Really?" There were at least four people there, including the Rabbit. It was going to be a great sport to chase them down.

"Truly and sincerely."

"Stupid Kandaaaaa! You're an asshooooole!" Well, what a brave soul that one was. Kanda supposed that he was a bit of an asshole from time to time. But, he was just the right amount of it, too. There was simply no need for him to deceive anyone with fake smiles. No, they have enough of that outside. He was content to be his happily irritated self at all times. Kanda had learned a long time ago not to care about what people thought of him.

"Yuuuuuuuuu!" Someone else yelled. That was it. He was done.

A snap rang out through the dojo when Kanda broke his practice sword in half.

Lenalee watched, worried, as Kanda ran beside her for the third time. There were a couple of guys from the Science department fleeing from him, led by Lavi. And Kanda looked ready to chop them up. He even had Mugen out.

"You think that they'd know better." Daisya was suddenly next to Lenalee shaking his head in disapproval. She gave him a confused look. "You only tease Kanda when you are sure that he can't catch you in the act." The male Exorcist grinned wide, his pointing finger up in the air, as if he was giving a lecture.

Lenalee giggled. Well, he probably had more practice than Lavi. The redhead was a fairly recent addition to their organization.

"If you say so." The Chinese girl gave another sweet smile. "They are coming this way, though. And Kanda isn't looking at them anymore." She told the unsuspecting Exorcist. Daisya whirled around and, true enough, there was a yelling and running Kanda, his murderous glare focused on him. Maybe he had finally seen that Daisya had dyed his towels pink? But, the Exorcist didn't stop to think about whys. He had found out over the years that it was better just to run. So he did.

It took one more month to convince the Head Nurse that Kanda was, in fact, fine and that he wouldn't go blind next. He had regained hearing in his left ear a couple of days after getting the right one working. Many times during his little problem he had thought about the young Finder that had practically saved his life. Embarrassing, but it was true. The newbie had, not only gotten him patched up, but he had made sure to find an antidote to the poison. He was the reason why Kanda could still do his job properly. His work would've been sloppy with deaf ears. True, the young Finder was also the reason of Kanda's many injuries, but not all of them. The Akuma would've nicked him with its blades one way or another. Kanda had simply had no wariness of the poisoned edge.

So, a month after Kanda regained his hearing, he was allowed to go on his first mission after the demise. With Lenalee. Well, he would take as good as he could get. He usually went on missions alone or with newbies. Komui knew Kanda's tendency to be hard on the new people, but the Supervisor also knew that Kanda had the highest rate of survived Exorcists. Simply, he was aware that if the newbie died he would have more work. And, contrary to the popular belief, Kanda wasn't a workaholic. He liked the peace and quiet much more than a regular Joe should. So, the samurai did everything in his power to bring the new Exorcists back. He was sentimental like that.

But, this time, Santos (the God-babbling newbie, Kanda had been right, he didn't shut up about God and his disciples or something), had hit it off with Lavi much better. So, Komui had sent the redhead with the Portuguese man, leaving Bookman to his records for once. That meant that Lenalee was partner-less, as she usually did missions with Lavi or Bookman. When Kanda asked for a mission (as he did every day after training) Komui saw a way out of the situation. He decided to entrust his precious sister to the grumpy samurai (and kill him if he tried anything). So, now, the Chinese girl and Kanda were meeting at the docks to go to Belgium and investigate the possibly-Innocence-caused phenomenon.

And she was late. Kanda kept tapping his foot, annoyed.

"I'm sorry, Kanda. Nii-san was being ridiculous again." The Chinese girl told him, hopping onto the gondola. Kanda gave a small nod, but didn't otherwise engage. He remembered how Komui was whenever his sister went somewhere. It had been ages since the last time he had gone on a mission with Lenalee. She usually went either solo or with Lavi. Kanda simply wasn't used to the company of the sweet-natured girl on the gondola with him. Or the trouble that her brother presented.

"How are you feeling?" Lenalee attempted to make conversation as their Finder pushed the gondola forwards. "Is your hearing fine now?"

Kanda looked up at her. He had been too focused on his feet. Lenalee seemed a bit uncomfortable and a tad worried. He suppressed his irritation and gave her a small nod.

"It's been a month." Kanda said, as if it explained everything. "The Head Nurse cleared me." Now, that explained it fully. The girl laughed lightly.

"True, the Head Nurse wouldn't let you go into the field if you were injured." She looked down, avoiding his gaze. "Sorry." Kanda frowned.

"It's not your fault. Don't apologize for stupid reasons." Kanda tried to make his voice as gentle as possible. It still came out pretty harsh, though. He saw the girl flinch a bit. What had her so depressed? However, Lenalee suddenly looked up with a smile.

"Kanda's right, there's no need to be depressed over things I can't control!" She laughed a bit, but it still seemed forced. However, the rest of their ride was spent in Lenalee's chatter and Kanda's grunts of approval or disapproval.

He was simply glad that she hadn't cried.

The mission turned out to be a one-man job. It had been a walk in the park for the two skilled Exorcists, so they finished in record time. Three Level Ones later, an Innocence was secured and the two were heading towards the train station. Kanda ended up walking as close to the fragile-looking girl as possible, trying not to lose her in the quickly moving crowd. They managed to avoid the rush and get into another street. It was less populated and seemed more of a shopping place, rather than the busy one that they had been in up till then. Kanda couldn't see any carriages.

There were shops left and right, and Kanda slowed his pace down (begrudgingly) allowing the Chinese girl to look around. She stopped here and there, going near the windows, looking at different dresses and skirts. Pity, Kanda thought. Most of the time Exorcists wore their uniforms everywhere. Sure, when you got injured or sick, you wore some casual clothes. When you went to the town to shop, too. But, that was it. There had never been a need for fancy dresses or shoes. There was always a plain uniform waiting for the female Exorcist.

Kanda couldn't really relate, but he tried to understand to the best of his capabilities. He didn't really care for clothes. Tiedoll was the one who had bought most of Kanda's outfits. The General had some kind of fetish for dressing the samurai in native Asian clothing. So, Kanda didn't really own any fancy suits. Mostly, he went around in comfortable, but tight, shirts (they didn't hinder his movement while fighting) and skinny pants (he liked cotton, it didn't itch). Of course, various sweaters and over clothes were in his closet, too. He liked the elegant, open wool sweaters the best. They were warm and made him feel safe. At home. Yes, Kanda was irritated that Tiedoll always bought his clothes, but he didn't hate it.

A familiar scent suddenly tickled Kanda's nose and he whirled around, eyes wide, freezing in his spot. In the back of his mind, he was aware that Lenalee had, too, stopped and called his name gently. But, Kanda didn't react. He was looking around, searching for a mop of copper hair. It wasn't there. Why, he wondered. That was her smell. That was that woman's scent. He had never smelled it except on her. Kanda was painfully aware of his irritation boiling to the surface like hot lava.

"Kanda?" A small hand touched his bicep, trying to get him back down to earth. "Is everything alright?" Lenalee. Yes. Lenalee was there. Kanda turned to her, eyes still wide. He realized that he was holding his breath, trying to inhale even more of that scent and he forced himself to release it. The Chinese girl looked worried. Her eyes searched his, trying to read his emotions. But, Kanda was a bit too good at masking them.

"Do you smell that?" He barked, irritated with himself. He had lost control far too easily. Lenalee closed her eyes for a second, differentiating the scents in the air. She gave a small smile.

"You mean the daffodils?" The Chinese girl asked. "Over there." She pointed to Kanda's left. "That woman has them on display." Kanda turned, following the direction of her finger. Sure enough, there was an old woman sitting there, a stand full of flowers before her. Kanda moved unconsciously towards them, evading the rushing crowd. He closed his eyes and took a breath, trying to place the scent. A copper haired woman came to mind, but he couldn't place her. He couldn't see her face. Couldn't tell how he met her. Or, if he had ever met her. Another ghost.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" Lenalee said, reminding Kanda of her presence. He turned to her, noticing that she was right next to him, bent down, smelling the flowers.

"Che." Was Kanda's usual reply. Lenalee didn't mind it. She was used to the grumpy man.

"What a lovely couple you are!" The old woman behind the counter remarked. She was looking at Kanda's hair. Maybe she was trying to determine his gender. He had been called a girl one too many times for his liking. "You may want to cut your hair a bit, young man." Kanda felt a volcano inside him explode.

"Oh, his hair is just fine, Ma'am. And, we aren't a couple." Lenalee saved the old woman, still sporting her polite smile.

"Let's go." Kanda growled, interrupting any further discussions. He grabbed Lenalee and tugged her towards the train station.

It seemed like ages since Kanda had last received a letter from the cheeky working girl. He was glad, because the mail-less state could mean that the Madam had forgotten all about him. There was also one more feeling in his stomach. One that he didn't want to admit existed. It was like a pit of darkness. It was that feeling that you got, when you were walking alone, when your throat simply closed up and your eyes stung like you were just going to break down and cry.

Kanda didn't cry. He wasn't weak. The absence of letters didn't make him sad. It didn't make him lonely. It's not like he had ever wanted them. In fact, he was quite happy to forget the Madam and her women. Kanda didn't like acquaintances. He didn't like ties. Especially when there were people on the other side. He simply didn't like people.

"Kanda-sama!" A very familiar voice called out to him and the samurai turned to glare at the blue eyes. The young Finder gave a small flinch, but his smile never faltered. "The Supervisor sent me to find you. You have a mission." Kanda looked over the Finder, searching for any clues of his untruthfulness. There were none.

"Che." The samurai abandoned his previous destination and headed towards the Supervisor's office (where Benjamin had come from). The newbie, of course, followed. With Kanda's brisk pace it didn't take them long to reach the room. The samurai was silent, and Benjamin knew that it was in his own best interest to stay as quiet as possible. He had heard of Kanda's reputation. The man simply didn't care for Finders. If he threatened his fellow Exorcists with his Innocence, who knew what he would do to a Finder?

Kanda burst into the office without knocking, the flustered Finder on his heels. Komui looked up from the many papers on his desk and gave the two a smile.

"There you are, Kanda-kun." The Supervisor spoke to the samurai casually. The young Finder was impressed. "You have a mission in France." Kanda felt his heart hit his skull as it jumped like an excited animal in his chest. He squished it down.

"Tch. You better have everything figured out this time. I don't like being stranded." He lashed at Komui, but the Chinese man didn't react to the harsh words. He simply gave another smile to Kanda.

"Everything has been set up. You will go to Paris by train and then proceed to the site of the Innocence phenomenon in the way you deem most appropriate. We have given you substantial funds for the trip and I expect some of them returned, Kanda-kun. We are a non-profit organization that relies heavily on investors, after all." Komui explained with a small sigh. He really wanted to provide for all of his people. But, between salaries and new projects, funding trips and stays, food and cleaning, he had his hands full with finance things.

He really couldn't magically make money, even though they were the darling organization of many Governments. Simply, when the economy was shaky, slowly wavering from its peak (partially because of wars, secret or not) the sponsors started drying up their steady flows of money. And, while the Order insignia got you far, it didn't get you everywhere. All of the Order members, volunteers or not, needed to have some funds on them when they went on missions. Komui was glad that he wasn't the one managing the finances of the Order, for one. They had a fairly capable Finance department, but they weren't magicians, either. They could only work with what they were given.

Kanda gave a nod. "When do I leave?" He didn't really get the whole finance thing. Well, he did on some level. But, Kanda had always been a part of the Order. He had never needed to work for his home and food. He had always had that. Money had been more of a pleasure, rather than a necessary thing in his life.

"As soon as you're packed." Kanda suppressed a snort. He was always packed to go. He was always ready. He was an Exorcist. Komui gave a small laugh.

"Good luck." With those words, he handed both Kanda and Benjamin a file and ushered them out of his office. They almost collided with Lavi and Lenalee who were entering.

"Che." Kanda remarked, pushing the Stupid Rabbit out of his way. Annoying little thing. It was common courtesy to let people exit before you came in. After giving Lenalee a glance (ignoring her polite smile), Kanda stormed down the hall. He heard the idiotic Finder apologize to Lavi and Lenalee behind him and then rushed footsteps alerted him to the fact that the young man was catching up to him.

This was going to be a real joy.

Paris in winter and Paris in spring were like two completely different cities. Kanda frowned as yet another mime attempted to pull him into his street act. Apparently, it was open artist season. On the ancient streets of the city, amongst the rushing people, there were street performers, left and right, showing off their talents. There were women and men, singing old chansons, hoping to get noticed by a scout. There were clowns with their animals, doing various tricks with a hat in front of them, counting each coin with a delighted eye. There were quite a few mimes, performing their acts, often pulling people from the crowd into their act, whether it was giving flowers to the ladies or making fun of the men. And, Kanda was apparently their favorite target. He swore that he was just going to slice up the next mime that looked at him.

"Kanda-sama, where are we going?" The Finder was even more annoying that Kanda had anticipated. Damn. He really needed to shake this one off. Especially if he saw one of Madam's girls. Yes, no one will find out about that. It must stay buried.

"Tch." The statement was followed with a low growl of warning from the Exorcist when the oblivious Finder opened his mouth once more. He wisely closed it without a sound. Kanda soon spotted his destination. He ducked under the small white curtain with Japanese kanji on it and entered the establishment. The Finder followed.

"Welcome!" An Asian girl (but not Japanese, to Kanda's disbelief) greeted them in perfect Japanese. "Vous avez une réservation?" She continued in French. Pity. He had almost enjoyed it. A glance to the Finder told him that the young man didn't speak French. Well. This was going to be a right blast. Why did Komui even send this guy with him?

"A table for two." Kanda shot back in Japanese. The girl looked surprised, but didn't comment anything. She motioned for them to stay there, and then left. Kanda still didn't understand why him speaking Japanese surprised people. He was Japanese. Wasn't it normal to speak your home county's language? It was for him. True, Japan hasn't been the best place to go to for the least three hundred years or so, but, its culture was still alive on the outside.

"Kanda-kun!" A short and plump Japanese man addressed the Exorcist. The 'welcome' girl was trotting behind him, looking confused and a tad worried.

"Makoto-san." Kanda gave the man a small nod of recognition. Makoto was a good man. A great chef when it came to his native cuisine. Kanda had been lucky to discover his restaurant by accident a few years ago, and he had been coming there ever since. It was a shame that the restaurant was in Paris, though.

"Come in! Come in!" Makoto waved Kanda and Benjamin in. The 'welcome' girl was left standing, staring at the duo as they followed the owner and head chef of the restaurant. They didn't look like VIPs to her. "You are here for a while this time? Eh?" Makoto didn't waste any time before interrogating Kanda. He showed them a comfortable table near the windows. Kanda settled down, not even looking at his mission companion.

"I'm looking for the best way to travel to Bellac." The Exorcist didn't pick up the menu. He simply ignored it. The young Finder opened his mouth, but then closed it. He didn't really know how to get to Bellac. Hell, he didn't even know where Bellac was.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure. I will ask around, eh?" And with that, Makoto left. Benjamin looked up at Kanda over his menu. He had understood the conversation in Japanese. The two had spoken fast, but the Finder had spent years studying the language.

"Kanda-sama." Benjamin spoke up cautiously. He received a questioning look (glare really). "We haven't ordered?" Yes, that was a question. Kanda snorted and gave a small shake of his head, not even bothering to answer.

There was silence for the next couple of minutes. It was rather awkward, if you asked Benjamin. But, the samurai was enjoying it. He liked silence, not really bothering to catch the muffled chatter or the sounds coming from the street. Besides, the fact that the Finder was fidgeting in his spot delighted him. True, he had flared his intent a tad, but not much. The young man shouldn't have even been able to sense it. But, he seemed to be more like an animal than like a human, reacting to things like aura. Interesting.

"Here you go!" Makoto was back, two more girls following him. They laid out a generous lunch in front of the duo. Upon seeing the various sushi, soba, ramen, udon and tempura, with various side dishes and rice, Benjamin's mouth watered and his stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten since that morning. "Enjoy!" Makoto told them, and retreated slowly. Kanda pulled the soba to him in a second and took his chopsticks.

The rest of the meal was spent in complete silence.

**That's all folks!**

**karina001: Glad that you are enjoying it :D I'm really trying to make something different :) **

**I got a bit more into Sasha back there, kind of wanted to give her a bit of a 3D personality, a reason why she is the way she is :D She is actually based on a real person, but I'm not going to get into that too much, because it doesn't affect the story.**

**I kind of like the Benji/Kanda interaction, so I put a bit more of it :) The poor thing, he's getting used to Kanda… That's… yeah… I also wanted to explore Kanda's relationship with Lenalee and Daisya.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Welcome ladies and gents!**

**I'm sorry that I didn't update this for a long time, I swear that I didn't forget about it xD I'm also writing two more stories (Harry Potter and One Piece), so I'm a bit overwhelmed xD I'm aiming to give you guys a HQ IC Kanda after all, and that takes work :P**

**Let me thank: Wren, csd14ll and NanyLU for the favs! And SongsofSiren, InquisitorFarnese, Schreeching Harmony and BuckityBarnes for the alerts! Also, my most wonderful reviewers who keep me writing: karina001 and InquisitorFarnese!**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 7: In which Kanda's nightmare comes to life…**

Makoto turned out to be a dead end. The man didn't offer Kanda any information that could help him on the rest of his journey. The samurai wished that he had a more capable Finder with him. Then again, this newbie wasn't too bad. He was quiet, yet helpful when needed. Kanda could almost tolerate him. Keyword: Almost.

The young man was too irritating to be tolerated. He followed the Exorcist like a lost puppy. Kanda could feel the eyes staring about, taking everything in. But, he didn't ask a lot of questions. That gave him bonus points and brought him further up Kanda's 'able-to-tolerate' list.

The samurai separated people into two categories. Able to tolerate and kill in a painful way. Sure, there were some people in the gray zone, but, they weren't important. Those who were, they were on one of the lists. And for someone to go from one list to another. Well, that was troublesome. Especially since it was the kill-in-a-painful-way to able-to-tolerate transaction (as the former had always had a high number of names on it). That made Kanda doubt his selecting abilities. It presented a possibility of other names crossing and Kanda couldn't have that.

"Kanda-sama?" Speak of the devil. "Do you know that woman?" Kanda felt his blood go icy and his hands curled into painful fists. His head whipped around, ponytail flying, as he attempted to see who the young Finder was talking about. Sure enough, there was a blonde, waving at them from one of the street corners.

"Tch. Of course not, stupid newbie." The Exorcist growled, relaxing. It was just a random whore. It wasn't one of the Madam's girls. The pit that was in his stomach grew. It had been a close one. He needed to get out of the city. Now.

Thankfully, Makoto never charged him much. The old man felt that he had a connection of some sort with Kanda (which the samurai felt, too, but would deny with vigor if ever asked). This meant that Kanda's pocket was still heavy with his funds for the trip, and one of his hands was constantly on the money. Pickpockets were nasty creatures and Kanda had had a few run-ins with them in Paris, which had, of course, ended with the samurai threatening to kill the poor men.

"Mr. Samurai!" Kanda felt his blood go hot in excitement and then freeze in horror. No. Anyone but her. He ignored the call, even though he was pretty sure that he had started turning that way as soon as her voice had rang in his ears.

"Kanda-sama?" The Finder caught up to the samurai's brisk pace. "There is a woman-" But, Kanda snapped. He turned around, drawing Mugen in a second and placed it on the young man's throat, not drawing a single drop of blood. He watched as goosebumps rose on the skin all around his cool blade.

"Yes?" The samurai asked. He looked positively murderous, eyes narrowed, blade at the ready. The Finder gulped, not daring to move.

"Nothing, Exorcist-sama." He squeaked finally, the blade moving against his throat as he spoke.

"It better not be." With that Kanda moved Mugen away from the Finder and slid it into its sheath. Good. Now that that danger was gone, he could find a train.

"Are you lost, Mr. Samurai?" Fuck no. Why did she have to be so persistent? For someone as observant as she was, why couldn't she catch a hint? He did not want the Order to find out about his free-time activities. They couldn't find out. Oh, by the sweet heavens. He could almost see the Stupid Rabbit being all jealous and then teasing Kanda. He could see Lenalee's blushing, disappointed face. He could see Komui's teasing smirk. Daisya would become impossible. Marie. Oh God. No. No one will ever find out.

"Tch." Was Kanda's response. He was well aware of the fact that the Finder was watching silently, curious as hell. No. He would pretend not to know the damn whore!

Kanda whirled away, heading towards the train station (his hair and coat swished elegantly behind him). The Finder scrambled to follow, but, so did Sasha. She didn't seem one bit deterred by the samurai's reaction. In fact, she seemed amused.

"Have you been in the city for long?" She asked, smiling gently. The Finder was looking from her to the samurai in confusion. The prostitute didn't go away. She walked beside the Exorcist, as if they were equal. "I'd gladly show you a way to a warm bed." She even went so far as to loop her arm through Kanda's. Benjamin could swear that he saw the Devil then.

"I'll kill you!" Kanda yelled out, turning to her now. He drew his sword, heading for her. The woman moved back, giggling, but her hands never left the samurai's form.

"Please don't be too rough." Her smile turned coy and her tone was a bit too innocent. The Finder felt his face go red at her blunt implication. What he didn't see was that Kanda's ears and neck were doing the same.

"Don't worry. I'll send you straight to your grave." He whispered darkly, his blade pressing against her breasts where her heart was. He saw the flicker of fear in her eyes and hesitated. Suddenly, threatening her wasn't fun anymore. "Leave us alone." He told her calmly and sheathed his Mugen. Kanda turned back to the road and kept walking. The Finder stared in shock. Kanda, the Kanda, had just walked away from a confrontation. But then, the samurai stopped and turned around. He had a small smirk on his face. The prostitute that hadn't moved from her position gave him a curious look. "Have you ever heard of Bellac?" He asked her, his tone a bit too polite.

The girl seemed to think for a moment. Then, she nodded. "Oui. C'est une petite ville qui se trouve au Sud-Ouest. " She spoke. Kanda's smirk widened, despite not understanding every word.

"How much would you ask for to take us there and interpret along the way?" The samurai asked. Now, the girl frowned. "You don't seem too busy to me." After a moment of silence, where the two stared each other down and the Finder gaped, the girl smiled coyly once again. She walked forward, her royal green heels clicking delicately against the old cobblestones. She threw one hand over the samurai's shoulder, making him glare at her as she looped it behind his neck to touch his ponytail. With another smile she struggled to reach his ear (quite gracefully, too) and whispered something in it. The Finder stared in wonder as the woman pulled back, her fingers never still in the grumpy Exorcist's hair.

"Tch." Finally said Kanda and pulled away from her, heading in the direction of the train station. However, the girl caught his arm swiftly and pulled him in the other direction. She was smug.

"I have a faster way." She told him and looped her arm though his, leading him away from the trains. The newbie Finder gaped.

An Exorcist had just hired a whore right in front of his eyes. And, not just any Exorcist. Kanda.

It was a feeling that he couldn't quite describe. And, Kanda wasn't sure if he even wanted to go there. It was so strange. This woman, this whore, Sasha, she was like a déjà vu. And he knew that he had definitely not met her before. The samurai looked to the woman in question, taking in the subtle way that she flirted with the Finder while showing him the scenery. Another bump in the road tossed them up and down. Kanda didn't complain. Travelling by train was faster, but, Sasha had explained how it didn't stop in the small place that they were heading to. Instead, she made them stop the milk man and ask him for a ride (more like let her flirt a ride out of him). Now, they were in the back of his wooden cart, pulled by a donkey, with tons and tons of cheese. Kanda decided after two hours that he hated cheese and would never, ever, eat it again.

Sasha looked at him and gave him a bright smile, causing him to glare. Why the hell was she so happy? She had gotten so close to him, touched him so intimately, in front of an Order member. He didn't mind it when they were out of sight. He didn't really care. Her touch was soothing in a way. Non-intrusive. More like she was trying to get to know him, rather than push her way through to him. She was gentle, calm and comforting. That was a combination that Kanda wasn't used to. No, he was used to the Order members. Quick to anger and quick to die. Sasha was an enigma. A mystery.

He had noticed the scent, though. Daffodils, Lenalee had called them. The prostitute smelled of them. When she had pushed herself against Kanda, whispered in his ear, he had been engulfed in her scent. He had flashed back to seeing her after her bath. It was strange to him, how this woman was so comfortable with herself. How she could simply flaunt her body, like it was nothing. Throw it at any man. It disgusted him. Yet, he found himself at ease whenever a gust of wind blew the scent of daffodils to his nose.

Sasha stopped talking to the milk man for a moment (flirting more like it) caught his eye and waved at him from her seat, making him quickly look away. She laughed. The cheeky woman laughed at him. Kanda felt his teeth gritting, but didn't do anything.

"Exorcist-sama?" The Finder called out, making Kanda's glare turn to him. He flinched. Good, he should. Kanda almost smiled at the thought. "Are you certain that listening to this woman is the best way to get to Bellac, sir?" The Finder continued. The samurai felt his patience wearing thin.

"Tch." He grumbled, looking about the scenery. They were in a middle of a field, nothing but road and grass for miles. "I don't see you making our situation any easier with your knowledge of the country." He remarked, causing the Finder to avert his eyes. "Or the language."

Sasha laughed, suddenly plopping next to the Exorcist. He averted his eyes awkwardly when her royal green skirt rode up, giving him a flash of her pale flesh. She smirked at him knowingly and got a signature 'che' in return.

"It doesn't matter if he knows our language or not!" She objected to Kanda's cruel words with that same knowing smirk. He turned away. He didn't like that smile. He didn't like the way she looked at him when she smiled. Her eyes were knowing. All too knowing. "We speak a different language here, my dear." Sasha continued, sliding into place next to the newbie. His face instantly went red, and he began fiddling with the edge of his Finder cloak.

"Ah, Miss, I don't know." He stammered. "Exorcist-sama is probably right. I am quite useless, you see." He looked to the ground, not daring to meet the samurai's eyes. He could feel the heat of the glare. The woman next to him placed her bare hand on his and he instantly focused back on her. There was no way that you couldn't. She was wearing a rather tight black and golden corset that accented her curves and the Finder found himself unable to look back at her face, despite the fact that he really wanted to.

"You are only useless when you think you are." Sasha told him, her voice somehow distant and solemn. Benjamin instantly found himself free of her spell and able to look into her blue eyes once more. She wasn't seducing him anymore. Now, she was simply holding his hand gently, telling him that she had felt that. With a soft smile, one so unlike the knowing smirk that he had become accustomed to seeing on her face, the woman caressed his hand. "You choose, do you want to be looked down upon for your faults, or do you want to become known for your strengths?" It was somehow a silent question, yet a statement, too.

"I don't know, Miss." The Finder replied, now looking at her. He seemed surprised that a common whore was that wise. Kanda grunted in a laugh. When the two looked at him, he was sneering.

"It doesn't matter, strengths or values, he's going to die just like the rest of them." The samurai's words were as sharp as his blade. Sasha flinched, but then smiled once again, kindly.

"We will all die, Mr. Samurai." She moved towards him again, smile becoming a smirk. "Maybe-" She trailed off, catching a piece of his hair with her fingers and rolling it in amusement. "-we should simply have fun until then?" Her smile spoke volumes, causing Kanda's ears and neck to go delicately red. The Finder quickly averted his eyes, glad that the woman's attention was once again not on him. He didn't know how to deal with her. He was a man of the church. Prostitutes were a thing that he didn't tangle with. Simply, they were sinners.

Her shameless flaunting of her profession was both tempting and disgusting. She was both loving and devious. She was a whore, realized the Finder, attempting to push the image of her breasts out of his mind, but couldn't. They had been so soft, so pale and round, right there in front of him. And, for the right amount, they would've been his. No. Benjamin shook his head. She was a prostitute. And, above all, she was a woman. A human. A person, just like him. She deserved respect. With that, the Finder steeled his mind. If Kanda could withstand this woman's charm, so could he.

Looking up, he saw the Sasha practically in Kanda's lap, pulling his hair and teasing him, while he was trying to defend by holding her back with Mugen (which seemed to have little effect on her). Maybe this woman wasn't that bad at all, he thought, looking at her bright smile as Kanda's ears went an impressive shade of red.

The town of Bellac was a classical French small town. To Sasha, it was something that she had seen before and gotten used to. To Kanda, it was just another place where he had come to hunt Akuma. To Benjamin, it was another corner of the City of Love.

The cobblestone streets were filled with people, rushing left and right, going from one cute shop to another. Some were yelling in French, some were singing chansons. There were couples sitting and talking, some kissing, some giggling at an unheard joke. Kanda grinned darkly on the inside. There were no mimes.

However, the part that was the most confusing was the absence of Akuma. There was no disturbance. There were no recent funerals once they asked around. There was no disaster. They couldn't find an 'unexplained phenomenon'. So, the trio settled down at an ice-cream parlor, indulging, much to Kanda's annoyance. Apparently, Sasha had opted to introduce something called ballot voting to their group which had put the samurai in a bind. Since there were three of them, the other two could always win the argument, as they mostly ganged up. True, Kanda could chop them up, but that would leave him without a guide and a newbie. Both were bad.

Losing a newbie would get him an earful from Komui, so he tended to try and keep them alive. And, being in France without a guide meant that he could end up in the red light district once more, since he had rotten luck like that. He most certainly did not want to get indebted to another Madam and have to go and solve her problems, too. In fact, one was quite enough. Though, killing Sasha wouldn't please him. When the samurai thought about it, she had more benefits than bad sides. She spoke both English and French (and probably some more languages), which was always a plus for him. Her services weren't that expensive and he could spare some money on her, if he got a capable guide through France. In fact, the street-smart working girl was probably the best Finder that one could employ. Or, in this case, pay less for the same services.

Kanda threw a look at her, suddenly getting a rather devilish idea. She was laughing with the newbie Finder. She looked genuinely happy. If he changed her clothing a tiny bit, just to cover a bit more, she would pass for a regular girl on the street. A man passed by, whistling at the strawberry blonde. She immediately quieted, as if she had been whipped.

"Oh la la!~" Exclaimed the passing man, stopping. His mates whistled in the background. He rambled off in French, something that Kanda didn't catch and would be able to understand even if he did. He watched Sasha's face carefully, though. He could see the change in her eyes at the man's words. It was like something fell over her face. Suddenly, there were none of those pure emotions from a second ago left. She raised her eyes to the man, a smirk on her face and leaned in, telling him something quietly in his ear. Kanda saw the way the man was eyeing her breasts and something in him snapped.

This wasn't silly newbie Finder who would chicken out from paying the girl to sleep with him. No, this was a customer. One that she had had the audacity to pick up right in front of him, in the middle of the street. Kanda jumped up, his chair clanking against the floor. Benjamin fell off his chair, moving as far back as he could as he saw the next thing happen almost in slow motion.

"うせろ." Kanda was suddenly right next to the surprised French man, Mugen out and on his neck. The Exorcist meant business. His dark eyes were icy. He had switched to his native language in his rage, not thinking that only Benjamin actually spoke (attempted to) it. Sasha was frozen, too, her hands caught in one of Kanda's. There was a moment of tense silence where everyone watched, as if time had stopped, what the insane foreigner was going to do next. Then, the French guy almost fell back, fear finally allowing him to move. He ran off with his cronies, leaving an unsatisfied Kanda and a cheering crowd.

Sasha fell back into her chair once Kanda released her, eyes glued to the samurai. She had known him to be fierce. She had known him to be strong. He was an Exorcist. He fought those terrors. Those demons. With a shiver Sasha realized that she couldn't move. She was terrified of him. There was something so pure in the air. Pure and electric. His rage was deliciously terrifying. She felt warmth pool in all the wrong places and settled for rubbing her legs together to ease the dull burn. She would never deny that he was the most terrifying and the most beautiful man that she had ever seen.

"You." The samurai growled. He put Mugen back into its sheath and grabbed Sasha by her scarf in a practiced motion (Lavi wore a scarf, too and he had caught that rabbit one too many times). "You." He growled again and she paled. She actually paled. There was no smirk this time. There was no hidden cheek. There was no playful flirting. He was mad as hell, and she knew it. "When you're with me, paid for, you're my whore." He let her go and she slumped back once again, her back hitting the chair numbly.

"Kanda-sama!" Benjamin suddenly gathered his courage and objected. However, the samurai simply gave him a glare and a short 'che' ignoring the objection. The Finder continued, though. "You can't talk like that to Miss Sasha! She's a lady!" Kanda snorted, about to speak up, when Sasha interrupted.

"You're wrong, Benjamin." Her voice was somehow tired, small. Kanda felt a pang of guilt, but pushed it away easily. Somehow, he always felt those troublesome things around her. Sasha was an enigma. An annoying enigma. But, not like this. Like this, she was just another pitiful human waiting to die. "I'm no lady." She told the Finder, her grin becoming cheeky once again. No, not the playful kind of cheeky that the samurai had gotten used to seeing on her face. It became the self-pitying cheeky kind. "I'm a whore." She told the gaping Finder, leaving him wide-eyed and shocked. With a smile, she slowly licked the remaining of her ice-cream while watching Benjamin. She did it slowly, making sure to show her talent with her tongue and then dropped the spoon back down into the glass bowl. "I'm ready to go whenever you are."

There was a moment of silence where the group stood still. Benjamin was too shocked to speak. Kanda was too stubborn to open his mouth. And, Sasha was in her own land of self-pity. Then, someone spoke from the crowd.

"You three!" The turned to see a middle-aged man. He was in work clothes, which were patched up in a couple of places, stained from working in the field. He was sporting a wide brimmed hat, but his cheeks were red from the sun, regardless. "Are you from the L'Eglise?" Asked the man in very accented English. However, it was understandable, causing Benjamin to hurry to the railing of the ice-cream parlor and answer hurriedly.

"Yes, sir!" The Finder didn't like the way that Sasha and Kanda had been looking at each other. Obviously, he had been mistaken when thinking that they had just met the woman in Paris. There was something else there. Something that he wasn't sure that he wanted to know. Knowing Kanda, it might actually get him killed.

It took a couple of minutes and some of Sasha's translating to realize that this was their employer.

That evening the man, Phillipe, let them stay at his house. He had a wife, but no children, so they had some space for the three people. Unfortunately, that meant that all three of them were sharing one room. Kanda and Sasha weren't really bothered by that, she was a working girl and he had already seen her naked (hence, he believed that there was nothing that could bother him anymore), but Benjamin wasn't going to settle down. He had kept talking about Sasha being a lady and how it wasn't proper. In the end, the girl had ended up asking their host if he could allow her to sleep in the stables. Phillipe had reluctantly agreed, showing her where the horses were. Benjamin had spent the remainder of the evening moping. That hadn't gone in a way that he had wanted it to go.

"Tell me more about this 'strange phenomenon'." Demanded Kanda after dinner. They were all sitting at the kitchen table, as the women cleaned up. Phillipe's wife Adrienne had asked them if they were allowed to drink wine, as they were from a church, after all. Benjamin had accepted half a glass, while Sasha took a whole one and Kanda completely declined. The girl was still translating between languages, though, no matter the drinking.

"It is the bridge that is the problem." Translated Sasha. "There is a silhouette that appears there, waiting. It sits on the edge of the bridge and watches. When someone nears it, it asks 'are you her?' and then, no matter the answer, throws the person overboard." Sasha paused, listening to the rest if the story. "None of the people that fell into the water have come back. The townspeople searched and searched for them, but there was nothing in the river. No living, no wounded, no dead bodies."

Kanda seemed to be thinking about the information for a bit. The newbie Finder was shivering. This didn't sound like an Innocence phenomenon to him. It sounded like a ghost story! Shivering once more, he moved closer to the Exorcist unconsciously. Despite the fact that Kanda was rather unfriendly (a true assbutt all the way), he was reliable in these situation. After all, the stoic samurai was brave. Then, something happened that sent all of Benjamin's nightmares into overdrive.

"And when does this 'ghost' appear?" Asked Kanda with a sarcastic tone (which impressed Sasha, even though she didn't show it). Phillipe answered once the woman translated.

"At witching hour." Benjamin fell off his chair for the second time that day, however this time, unconscious. Kanda grinned happily. Sasha shuddered at the very idea.

"We better hurry, then." The samurai told her, his blood singing at the thought of a fight. "We have an urgent date with a specter."

**That's all folks!**

**Kanda says: ****うせろ ****(usero) which means 'Get lost' to the French men up there :D**

**Reviews!**

**Karina001: Sorry for the long wait xD Kanda needs some hilarity in his life, because he's such a grouch :) Hang on tight, cause his trouble with her is just beginning :D I hope that the stuff with Sasha didn't disappoint :D **

**InquisitorFarnese: Thank you for giving my story a shot :) I started it as a joke in my mind, playing with the stereotype of a French prostitute, and then decided to write some of it xD It was actually on my computer for a while, just chilling :P**

**Unfortunately, my French is a bit rusty, I took some at school and now I'm trying to use it again xD If you notice mistakes, do tell me xD I was playing with the stereotypes a bit, making her mistake him for a Chinese guy :) The Madam is a bit of a complex character, hopefully I'll get to develop her a bit more :) I hope you enjoyed! :D**


End file.
